Bait and Switch
by Radioactive Whisper
Summary: Based on the 4 months later at the end of Psycho/Therapist. William Lewis escapes from prison, set on revenge. His time in prison made him smarter and he knows exactly how to get to Olivia. The move he makes catches everyone off guard and leaves them reeling.
1. Chapter 1

First let me say thanks to all who read and gave feedback or hit the favorite/follow button on my first fic. You all gave me the confidence to continue trying my hand at fanfiction. This particular fic came out of nowhere. I was working on sending Nick and Olivia off into the Adirondacks...I had some adventure and danger in the wilderness planned for them. But, then I watched Psycho/Therapist. I was surprised that the show left the door open on the William Lewis front, so I immediately began considering how they might bring him back again. This came to me the next morning and has slowly but surely been forming in my mind ever since. The first chapter of this is kinda dark, so expect a fair amount of darkness in the future. A few more notes on this...I know that Cragen is retiring but he remains the Captain in this because I started before his retirement and because I'm not sure what the feel of the squad will be like without him. Also, Liv is a Sergeant in this fic, but she remains partnered with Nick because I refuse to have it any other way. They are perfect. And they are also Dick Wolf's, as are all the other characters. Everything is his, I own nothing. Hope you enjoy.

* * *

"This is..."

"A complete waste of time?"

Nick flashed his partner a smile that said 'I'm right aren't I?' and shrugged.

Olivia chuckled and smiled back at him. "I was going to say something else, but that about covers it."

They were both sitting at their desks, staring at their computer screens and clicking their mouse rapidly as they completed one of the department's most recent mandates…annual ethics training. To say that it was insulting would be the understatement of the century. It was a waste of their energy and valuable time that they would've been spending on cases. Afterall, when you could literally answer every question wrong multiple times and still successfully complete the training, it was hard to see the point of it. And no one did, so they put it off as long as they possibly could. Nick and Olivia were no exception. They'd been avoiding this chore for weeks and ducking Cragen as he attempted to make them complete it for days, but he'd finally caught up with them today and told them in no uncertain terms to get it done.

Nick groaned as he put his head down on his desk and continued clicking the mouse. Olivia couldn't help but laugh at the blatant disregard he had for what was on his screen.

"You know they keep track of how long it takes you right? At least slow down on the clicking."

Nick lifted his head and looked at her with raised eyebrows. "You've got to be kidding me. Great, so what's an acceptable time for ethics training?"

Olivia shrugged and continued at her computer. Nick looked up as Fin and Amanda walked into the squad room. "Hey, what's the time limit for ethics training?"

Fin looked over at him with an 'are you serious expression'. "Who cares?" he asked incredulously.

Amanda giggled at the exchange. "Fine, be that way. What are you guys working on," Nick asked, noting the file in Amanda's hand, "Please tell me it's something that's going to get me out of this stupid training."

Amanda shook her head, "Sorry Nick, a couple of indecent exposures and a John who got too rough aren't getting you out of anything."

Nick nodded his head in surrender. He turned to look at his partner but found that her gaze was fixed elsewhere. He followed her eyes and saw the Captain approaching their desks looking tense.

Nick held his hands up in front of him in an apologetic gesture. "Sorry Cap, we're almost done."

The older man seemed perplexed for a brief moment and then waved off the apology.

"I'm glad you're all here." He paused and scanned the faces of his detectives. He stopped when he came to his newly minted Sergeant. There was a hint of a smile left on her face, one that was fading rapidly at his somber demeanor.

"What's wrong," Olivia asked anxiously.

"I just got off the phone with the warden at Rikers. Six hours ago, William Lewis escaped custody."

There was a collective and audible intake of breath. All eyes turned to Olivia. To no one's surprise she was steadfast in the face of this particularly terrible revelation. She took the news in silence, jaw clenched tightly, hands clasped together on her desk, no hint of emotion on her face.

"How," she finally asked in a voice that only those that knew her closely would recognize as any different from normal. But the hint of emotion was there and it betrayed the inner turmoil that was inevitably taking place inside of her head.

"He was taken to Bellevue to be treated for a seizure. Somehow he managed to get free from the cuffs and get out of the prison ward."

Amanda shook her head in disbelief. "Amazing. I'm not sure what I find more unbelievable, the incompetence of the staff that allowed him to escape or that this guy has caught yet another break." She threw her hands up. "He should seriously consider hitting a blackjack table."

Fin gave her a stern look and she rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean."

Fin turned back to Cragen. "Do they have any leads?"

The Captain shook his head. "Nothing so far. If he had help, and it seems unlikely he could've pulled this off on his own, it makes things more complicated. He could've been given money, a car, new clothes...he wouldn't necessarily need to make his presence known anywhere for a while."

"Ok, but Lewis is predictable." Nick interjected. "He doesn't plan. It's only a matter of time before he needs a place to stay, money, booze. He's arrogant. He'll take what he wants and leave a path of destruction that will lead right to him."

Cragen nodded his head in agreement. Olivia sighed. "More like a path of bodies."

"New York state troopers are on the case, it's their job to find him. My number one concern is your bodies," Cragen said as he scanned a pointed finger at them. "You all helped put him away, you could all be targets. Be vigilant. Liv..."

"Yeah, Cap...I know," Olivia interrupted.

"That goes triple for you," he continued pointing a finger at her. He looked around at his squad. "Until Lewis is caught, she doesn't leave this precinct without a partner. Understood?" They all nodded their heads in agreement.

Olivia started to protest. "Captain, I get what you're doing but..."

"This isn't up for discussion," Cragen said firmly. "I'll also be requesting a unit to patrol outside of your building."

Olivia opened her mouth to protest again, but seemed to realize it was futile and gave a slight nod instead.

"Good." The Captain gave a final nod and then turned and walked to his office.

It was quiet for a moment. They looked around at each other, dazed, unsure of how to continue on with their day after the bomb that had been dropped.

Nick walked over to where his partner sat staring unfocused at her computer screen. He put a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, you ok?"

She looked up at him and attempted what he thought was meant to be a reassuring smile, but looked more like a grimace. "Yeah, I'm fine," she said returning her eyes to her computer screen, avoiding the appraising stares of her colleagues.

"Don't worry Liv, I bet they find Lewis by morning and throw his ass back in jail where he belongs," Fin said, attempting to sound more reassuring than he felt.

"You know he's probably high tailing it out of the state as we speak. He's gotta know if he sticks around it's only a matter of time before he's back in prison," Amanda chimed in following Fin's lead.

Olivia finally brought her eyes up to meet theirs. "I know. The Captain is just being over protective. Lewis is disabled, he's lost the element of surprise...even he's not that stupid. I'm sure he's going to lay low."

Nick looked at Amanda and Fin and saw the unease that he felt reflected in their faces. It had been stupid to go after her last time after walking away from a sure conviction. No, it was obvious none of them were convinced. He was sure Olivia wasn't either. While what she said was true, common sense couldn't be relied upon to stop someone as arrogant as Lewis. He was bold, rash and he wasn't used to losing. Olivia had beaten him in more than one way. There was no doubt in Nick's mind he would be looking to finish what he started with her. His eyes met Olivia's and he gave an affirmative nod that he hoped she took as agreement. For today, they could all pretend that William Lewis was driving in the opposite direction headed to Tennessee, Louisiana... _Anywhere but here_, Nick thought.

* * *

He was driving away from the city. Away from the prison, away from the hospital, away from her. It felt wrong. It felt like running. He had never run from anything in his life. He had to remind himself that he wasn't really running. He was being smart. He was resisting his worst impulses. The ones that would have had him wreaking havoc and seeking revenge as soon as he had escaped the hospital prison ward. But instead he was driving a Honda Civic down a two lane road, having long ago ditched the car he had taken from the hospital. He had found the Honda in a 'blink and you miss it' kind of town in a remote parking lot with a for sale sign in the window. No witnesses, no damage...easy hotwire and go. Smart. He doubted anyone would realize the car was missing for a while.

He hit a particularly rough patch of road and felt the car jostle beneath him. The scrapping of plastic on plastic caught his attention.

He looked down at the badge in the cup holder and smirked as he thought about the pretty, but gullible Doctor Cole. It hadn't taken much to get her help after he had successfully faked himself to a hospital outside of Rikers...some crocodile tears and a story about a notoriously ruthless inmate threatening his life. He had to admit his performance had been brilliant. He'd oozed desperation as he told her he was sure he was going to die in Rikers and that he just needed someone to save his life. She had been conflicted, he'd seen the war raging in her eyes. She was convinced what he said was true, that he was going to die. It didn't hurt that she had a certain fondness for him. They had seen a lot of each other while he was in prison. But it was her career on the line and that was no small matter. He had never been sure it would work, but it had been worth a shot. He had nothing to lose. And as it turns out, he judged the good doctor correctly. In the end she had risked getting caught helping him. She had found a way to get him the key to the handcuffs restraining him and left her badge in his room so he could get out of the prison ward. He shook his head. They all fell for the act. He cocked his head slightly. Well...not all of them.

He grabbed the badge out of the cup holder and turned it over in his hand.

He had briefly considered lying low in the city, waiting for the good doctor to get off work and then following her home. After a year in prison, he longed to get his hands on the soft, warm body of a woman. He could've used a couple of nights playing with the doctor.

He looked down at the badge in his hand and then rolled down the window and tossed it outside.

She wasn't the one he wanted. She wasn't worth the risk. Sacrifices had to be made.

He looked down at his speedometer. 55 mph. He sighed in frustration. Sacrifices indeed. Archer would be impressed at his discipline.

He considered his former cellmate. He had never had friends. He had never wanted friends. He was only interested in what he wanted and needed, screw other people.

But Tennell Archer was different. Archer was probably the closest thing he'd ever had to a friend. Whether it was dumb luck or by design, they had been assigned to a cell together and had quickly found that they had a lot in common. Archer was like him. He had a similar appreciation for women...or more specifically the things that could be done to them. Marks marring their soft, perfect skin, tears running down their cheeks as they were taken by force. The power was intoxicating and they both craved it. They had shared stories of all their worst deeds, conquests, and what they fantasized about doing outside of the prison walls that held them. But where he was impulsive and daring, Archer was meticulous and organized. Of course, Archer had the benefit of experience. He was 47. He'd been at it for 16 years. In all of that time he had only been charged with the kidnap, assault and rape of one girl. Even that had been bad luck. He had blown a tire transporting his victim to her final destination and a state trooper had pulled over to help him. The truth was after Archer was arrested, the police put two and two together and began to suspect him of a number of rape/homicides that had taken place over the years. But they couldn't prove it. They were just happy to have him behind bars. But he knew the truth because Archer liked to share...and what Archer shared had left even him a little in awe.

Archer was like a mentor. He had made him see where he went wrong and shown him how to be smarter. He had convinced him that his recklessness was his downfall and the only way to get what he wanted was to control his impulses, plan, and limit collateral damage. "If you destroy everything in your way, Will, you leave a path for the police to follow. You want to blend in. Leave no trace of yourself." He heard Archer's voice ringing in his ears. He knew now that Archer was right. Looking back, it was so clear how he had engineered his own destruction. But not again. He had learned his lesson. Soon he would have everything he wanted. But not yet. He still had arrangements to make and a special place to find. Archer had helped him with that one, too. He just had to make sure it was there. See if it was ready. Then the fun would begin.

* * *

Olivia walked into the dark apartment and flipped on the light. She set her purse down on the kitchen counter and dropped her coat on the chair.

Brian must be working late again. _Good, _she thought. She didn't want to talk about it right now. She couldn't talk about it right now. _It was supposed to be over_.

She grabbed a wine glass out of the cabinet and poured herself a glass. She took a drink and then set the glass down. She ran a hand over her face and sighed. She took another sip from her wine glass and reached for the pile of mail on the counter. She began sorting through it mindlessly, thinking about the night ahead and deciding a long hot bath was in order.

There was a loud crash...she was startled, she stumbled off-balance to the wall that divided the kitchen from the living room and pulled out her gun.

"Welcome home Detective Benson." She heard the words so clearly, he had to be there. No, not again. Her heart raced, she was breathing rapidly.

There was another crash. She whipped around the corner, armed and ready to take on the source of the disturbance. There was no one there. She heard it for a third time. It had come from near the refrigerator. And then she realized what it was...the ice maker.

She placed her gun back in the holster and walked to the refrigerator. She opened the freezer drawer that held the ice tray and looked inside. Sure enough, there were a handful of ice chunks in an otherwise empty tray. She frowned and kicked the bottom drawer shut.

Olivia walked back to the counter and picked up her wine glass. She started to raise it to her lips and then stopped and looked at it...it was shaking. Her hand was shaking. For a brief moment she watched the ripples that formed as the wine shook with her hand. Then in an instant, she turned and threw the glass at the refrigerator. The glass shattered into pieces and the red liquid rolled down the refrigerator and onto the floor. Olivia slid down the wall and put her head in her hands. She gave in to the emotion that had threatened to overtake her all day. Tears fell freely down her face and her body was wracked by sobs. She found herself repeating the same mantra over and over in her head. _It was supposed to be over_.

* * *

He slowly climbed out of the car while taking in his surroundings. It was perfect. He felt giddy, he couldn't believe he'd found it. Before him stood a small shack in the midst of a very dense forest with a mile long driveway and no neighbors in any direction for miles. Lucky for him that he had become friends with his cellmate.

_"Archer, how'd you go so long without being caught?"_

_"Patience, planning...also had the best spot you could think of. A remote little house in the middle of a forest. No one around for miles. I was a couple of miles away from my place when my tire blew that day. Crazy how life is sometimes."_

_"Didn't the police find out about it when you were arrested?"_

_"Nah, the land belongs to a buddy of mine. 700 acres of privately owned forest. He's the only one that knows it's there and he wouldn't say anything."_

_The younger man cocked his head slightly and raised an eyebrow._

_"Let's just say he's got his own skeletons in the closet."_

_"Hmmm...where does a place like that exist?"_

_"Poestenkill, Ny. I remember the cemetary. I'd drive right past it thinking how it was probably a pretty good marker for my place." Archer laughed. "Once I got past the cemetary it wasn't long. Then I'd see a tree that looked like a cyclone and I knew I was there. The driveway is practically hidden. Overgrown trees make it look like you're turning into a path that no longer exists. But it's there."_

Indeed it was. This had been Archer's place. Now it was his. He liked to think Archer wouldn't mind. After all, Archer was still in prison. He wasn't. Someone should be taking advantage of this place.

He limped up to the door and tried the knob...locked. He began overturning anything he could find on the porch looking for a key. He felt along the window edges, above the door frame. He was about to bust out a window when he noticed what looked like a square-shaped piece of wood that had been cut out of one of the porch posts and put back in. He tried to move it but couldn't get his fingers in to take it out. He brought out his knife and slipped the blade into one of the cracks. The piece of wood popped out and where the wood used to be lay a silver key.

His eyes lit up. "Jackpot."

He grabbed the key and then slipped the piece of wood back into place. He stuck the key in the door and turned, feeling the lock give way. He entered the house slowly, reaching all around him looking for a light switch. He found nothing. He could make out a fireplace and a sofa. He turned to his right and walked into a medium-sized end table with drawers. He began opening the drawers looking for a flashlight.

"Bingo," he said, reaching into the bottom drawer. He pulled out a couple of long candles and set them on top of the table. It wasn't a flashlight but it would do. He took out his lighter and lit one of the candles. He made his way around the room, taking note of everything. It was very simple. Not much furniture, no real kitchen beyond some cabinets, a sink and a table. He found a very small bathroom with a badly rigged shower.

"You were roughing it out here, weren't you Arch?" He said to himself. No electricity, bare bones furniture, barely running water...it wasn't exactly what he expected, but it didn't deter him. The place was still perfect. Well...almost perfect.

He did a mental inventory of all he had seen. He knew what Archer was, he knew what Archer liked...there was no bed, no mattress. No room that locked either. Did he just keep his girls tied to a chair for days? He frowned. He felt like he was missing something. He retraced his steps, scanning the walls, looking for a door that he might have missed. And then he heard it, the sound of metal on wood as he stepped across a rug in front of the fire-place. He lifted the rug and felt his heart rate increase. There was a wooden square door in the floor with a large metal ring. This had to be it. He lifted up on the door and found a ladder leading down, to what, he wasn't sure. He couldn't see. He climbed down the ladder, careful of the candle in hand. He held the candle out to light the unknown and crept forward slowly. He noticed another larger candle on a stand against the wall and lit it. He turned and took in the rest of the room. He was in a small area...concrete walls, concrete floor, low ceiling...nothing remarkable about it. But in the corner what he found made him smile. A mattress, a toilet and a series of 4 D rings on the wall and on the floor that Archer had undoubtedly used to restrain his girls. Perfect, he thought again. He pictured her, ankle chained to the floor, unable to run away. Then he saw her on the mattress, arms chained to the wall, ankles to the floor...helpless. _Even better_. It was the most appealing image his mind had ever conjured. _Soon_, he thought. _Very soon_.


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks to those that took the time to review the last chapter. I realize that was a tough one to read since it was a lot of setup and a bit on the dark side. In other words...not so much fun. I really do appreciate the positive response. This chapter is quite a bit lighter than the first. In fact, I had to continue what I had planned for chapter 2 into chapter 3 because I couldn't fit it all in one reasonably sized chapter. For that reason, chapter 3 should be fairly light as well. Also, a disclaimer before a disclaimer. I was able to finish chapter 2 relatively quickly because my work and training schedule allowed it. That will not always be the case. I will try to update as regularly as possible, but that's all I can promise. And now another disclaimer...Law and Order SVU and all the characters belong to Dick Wolf. I own nothing, except the computer I used to write this.

* * *

"I think that might have been record timing Nick," Olivia said, climbing out of the passenger side of their precinct issued car. "There a fire I don't know about?"

"Haha, very funny," he called across the car, closing the car door. "You calling me a bad driver?"

"No, you're not a bad driver, you just displayed some questionable driving skills. See the difference?" They both laughed.

Nick reached the precinct door first and held it open, motioning for Olivia to go ahead of him. They walked side by side down the hallway towards the squad room.

"I didn't want to be late. Maria needed to drop Zara off early, so she's bringing her here tonight."

She turned her head to look at him. "If you don't mind me asking, how are things between you and Maria?"

"I like to think we're pretty civil divorced people. We both know that this is the way it needs to be and we're focused on being the best parents to Zara that we can be in the situation we're in."

They entered the squad room, and stopped in front of their desks. Olivia looked at the other set of desks in the area. They were empty. Amanda and Fin must be in interrogation.

"You and Cassidy have big plans for this weekend?"

Olivia shook her head. "Brian has to work, so I'll probably just curl up with a book and a glass of wine."

Olivia chanced a glance at him and saw the scowl that took over his face. She held up her hand, "I know what you're thinking Nick, but I'll be fine. Brian's been ducking out of work early for days now so he could be home with me in the evenings. It's been 5 days. There's nothing to worry about."

Truthfully, she almost believed that. It had been 5 days with no sign of William Lewis. As far as any of them knew, he had vanished into thin air. The last trace of him was the car he had ditched in a small, remote town in southern New York. They had waited for the call they were all expecting to get. A rape, robbery, homocide...anything that implicated Lewis in any way and gave them an inkling of what he was up to. But that call never came. In some ways it was unnerving that he wasn't behaving predictably. It wasn't like him to be anything but reckless. It felt like she'd been blindfolded and thrown in the lion's den, just waiting for the lion to strike. But with each day that went by, it was easier to assume that he was cutting his losses, enjoying his freedom and doing whatever he could to keep it. Probably leaving the state, maybe even the country. The mood of the squad room had certainly improved with each passing day. Cragen hadn't even argued much when the department finally pulled the unit that was patrolling outside of her building. She could almost forget that Lewis was out there and not behind bars. Almost.

"Liv, as long as he's out there..."

"Nick, I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself."

Nick opened his mouth, paused and then closed it. Apparently thinking better of what he was going to say. He turned and started to walk away and then turned right back around to face her. "Listen, Zara's been learning about endangered animals in school. Her class adopted a snow leopard and she's fallen in love with them. Maria says she's been home every night since then on the computer looking at pictures. She even asked for a book about them."

Olivia twisted her face in confusion, not sure where this particular conversation was going. "Uh...that's cute. But, if you're looking for a snow leopard expert, I'm not your girl. I've got nothing."

Nick couldn't help but laugh. "No, they have a snow leopard exhibit at the Bronx Zoo and she's been dying to go see them in person. I told her I'd take her this weekend. You should come with us."

Olivia looked at her partner incredulously. "No. No way."

"Oh come on Olivia, we're not that bad," he declared with fake indignation.

"Oh I have no doubt Zara is great company. You, I'm not so sure about anymore."

He held a hand to his heart and screwed up his face dramatically. "Ouch."

"Seriously, though. This is your weekend with your daughter. You two need to spend that time together without me there tagging along. Besides, you need a break from me. We spend a lot of hours together as it is. Anymore and you'll get sick of me and ask for a new partner."

Nick shook his head. "Neither of those things have the slightest chance of ever happening," he said, eyes downcast.

Olivia paused and felt a slight blush tinge her cheeks. She hadn't expected such a serious response to her joking comment. "That's good to know," she answered genuinely, meeting his eyes.

"Dad!"

Nick and Olivia both turned their heads to see Maria and Zara entering the squad room. "Hola, mi pajarita!" Zara ran to her father and he picked her up in his arms, spinning her around in a circle as he hugged her tightly. He kissed her head and then set her down, kneeling so he was eye level with her. Olivia walked back to her desk, feeling the need to give the three of them a little space.

"How was your week? Were you good for your Mom?" Nick glanced up to Maria who was smiling at the two of them.

Zara nodded her head. "Dad, I made you something!" Zara went back to where Maria was holding her school bag and reached inside. She pulled out a pink hoop with purple strings and beads hanging from it and handed it to Nick.

"Wow, a dreamcatcher. That's just what I needed. How did you know?" Zara shrugged.

"That's really beautiful Zara," Olivia said.

Zara smiled, pleased and proud of the attention her gift was receiving. Nick held up the dreamcatcher and motioned to his desk. "I'm going to put this right here on my desk where everyone can see it and then none of the bad thoughts or dreams can get me while I'm here." He hung the dreamcatcher on a small tack that was stuck in some corkboard at his desk.

"I better get going," Maria said uncomfortably. "Zara be good for your dad." She turned to Nick and added, "I have to stay in the city for work this weekend so you don't have to worry about getting her to D.C. I'll pick her up from you Sunday night?"

"Sounds good."

Maria bent down and hugged Zara before turning to exit the squad room. Nick and Zara watched her leave and then Nick turned to his daughter with what Olivia thought looked like a mischievous grin.

"Zara, don't you think Olivia should go to the zoo with us tomorrow?"

Zara's eyes lit up and she yelled, "Yes!" She turned to Olivia expectantly who was in turn glaring at Nick.

"Hey Zara!" They all turned at the sound of Amanda's voice. She and Fin approached the three of them looking pleased to see their young guest.

"Hi Amanda," Zara said, beaming. "Hi Mr. Fin." They both smiled at her adoringly.

Amanda knelt by Zara and whispered conspiratorially, "What do you say we go raid Detective Simmons' stash of candy?"

Zara's eyes got wide. She glanced at her father who smiled and nodded at her. She turned back to Amanda and nodded her head enthusiastically.

Amanda took her hand and led her to the other side of the squad room.

Olivia stood and approached her partner. He was holding out his hands in mock surrender, well aware of how much trouble he was in. "I'm sorry, I couldn't help it. I'm a concerned partner and I knew she would love the idea."

"I'm going to kill you," Olivia said hitting his shoulder playfully.

Nick laughed. "Ok, but can you wait until after tomorrow? I did promise Zara she'd get to go to the zoo."

She narrowed her eyes in admonition. He put a hand up to his mouth and tried to cover his continued laughter, but his eyes were dancing with it. Olivia was contemplating whether it was possible to want to both hug someone and strangle them at the same time. She thought, based on this moment, it was. She smiled in spite of herself as she saw Amanda and Zara returning from their candy raid.

Zara went to stand by her father as she happily picked through an assortment of brightly colored candies in her hand.

Nick ran a hand through her hair. "Tell Amanda thank you."

"Thank you Amanda," Zara mumbled over the candies she had inserted into her mouth.

"You're welcome," Amanda replied sincerely.

"I think it's time for us to go home," Nick said, mussing up Zara's hair affectionately.

Zara put the last of the candy in her mouth and looked up at her father with sad eyes.

"What about Olivia? Is she going to come to the zoo with us?"

Nick and Olivia looked at each other expectantly, both stuttering, waiting for the other to answer her question. Zara looked between them and then decided to take matters into her own hands.

"Will you come with us? Please Olivia?"

She knew it was over. How could she tell her no? "Are you sure you want me to come? Don't you want to spend the day just you and your dad?"

She looked a little perplexed by this concept. "No." They all laughed at the childish honesty of her answer.

Nick motioned to his daughter and looked at Olivia with raised eyebrows. Olivia looked at him reproachfully and then turned back to Zara.

"If you're sure you want me to go..." Zara gave an affirmative and vigorous nod. "Then I'd be happy to go to the zoo with you," Olivia confirmed, smiling at her.

"Yay!" Zara screeched loudly.

"Ssshhhh," Nick whispered, bending down and holding a finger to his lips while trying to suppress his laughter. He held out a raised hand to Zara looking for a high-five. She obliged with a small hop. Nick turned back to his partner and smiled. She rolled her eyes, shook her head and walked back to her desk.

"Alright mi pajarita, let's go home." He picked up her school bag and grasped her hand.

"We'll come pick you up around 9 tomorrow?"

"Um...ok," she agreed, still looking unsure about the idea. "Bye Zara."

"Bye Olivia," Zara chirped, waving.

She watched father and daughter walk hand in hand out of the station, arms swinging happily. She hadn't stood a chance.

* * *

"This is ridiculous."

Brian watched her walk quick circles through their apartment getting herself ready, making coffee and attempting to eat some toast. She was obviously distressed and not to be messed with this morning.

"Liv, I can call in if you want."

"No," she huffed, exasperated. "That's the point." She threw a hand out in frustration. "I don't need a babysitter. I don't need you to stay home and I don't need to go to the zoo with my over protective partner. I'm perfectly capable of staying at my apartment by myself." She cringed at her words. "Ugh. See the fact that I even have to say that?"

Brian couldn't help but smile. She was cute when she was mad.

"I know you don't want to hear this, but I'm glad you're going."

Olivia cocked her head to the side, narrowing her eyes at him.

He continued as if he hadn't noticed. "I mean I wish it was with someone besides Amaro," he cracked, half serious, half-joking. "But it makes me feel better you won't be alone. Especially since the patrol was pulled. It's better to be safe as long as Lewis is still out there."

"Great, we've found the one thing you two agree on," she said sarcastically.

Brian chuckled, "There's got to be something else. What's his baseball team?"

She turned her attention to the coffee pot and ignored him. "I should've said no. I did say no. I should've stuck with no." she muttered, holding a conversation with herself and shaking her head as she poured a cup of coffee. She put the coffee pot down and looked at Brian with hands held out like an unspoken question. "But it was Zara asking and she said please in that adorable way kids do. Who could say no to that?"

Brian walked over to where she was standing and kissed her forehead.

"No one, that's why you're going." He said softly. Olivia nodded her head and took a drink of her coffee.

Brian grabbed his jacket and looked at his watch. He was running late.

There was a knock at the door. He went to answer, finding Nick and his daughter waiting on the other side. He waved them into the apartment and then turned around and grinned at the little girl.

"You must be Zara," he said. "It's nice to meet you, I'm Brian." She smiled shyly at him, grasping on to her father's coat.

"I've got to go to work, but you have fun at the zoo today," he stopped and glanced over to where Olivia was standing just outside of the kitchen, coffee cup in hand, and then back to Zara. "Do you think you can help Olivia remember to bring me back a souvenir? She's going to have so much fun she'll probably forget."

Zara nodded her head emphatically.

"Alright. Thanks Zara," he said holding out his hand for a high-five. She smacked his hand eagerly and smiled broadly at her father, proud to be given this very important task.

Brian turned back to Olivia. "Bye Babe. See you tonight."

"Nick," Brian said with a curt nod. Nick returned his acknowledgement and they all watched as he left the apartment. Nick put a hand on Zara's shoulder and one on her head. He turned to Olivia. "You ready," he asked, giving her a smile so bright it reached his eyes.

Yep, she thought. No chance at all. How could she resent spending time with this sweet little girl and her partner, who looked so content. She couldn't. She felt the annoyance from earlier melt away.

She grabbed her coat off of the couch and smiled. "Ready."

* * *

He watched her exit the building, walking side by side with her partner, the little girl skipping happily along, holding his hand. They were smiling, talking, laughing as they walked to her partner's car parked a block away at a meter. _How sweet_, he thought sardonically.

She looked happy, care-free even. She had a new apartment, she was living with the boyfriend, had a close friendship with her partner. Things seemed to be going well for her. And she looked good. She was dressed casually in dark jeans, a black v-neck shirt and a black leather jacket that hung open in the front. Her hair was longer than when he had last seen her, falling a couple of inches above her shoulder, a deep brown mass of loose curls with perfectly interspersed flecks of warm brown where the sun caught the highlights in her hair.

He felt a familiar stirring within. Impatience gnawed at him. It'd been easy enough to find out where she lived, all he had to do was follow her home from work. Unfortunately, he was still going to have to wait a little longer. He wasn't ready yet. It was difficult to do everything he needed to do and get the things he needed without being recognized or drawing the attention of the police. He'd made progress. He had only a little money and clothes that didn't fit when he left the hospital. He had ducked into the first room he'd come across when he'd escaped the prison ward and taken the occupant's clothes and wallet out of the closet. He'd come along way from there. The cash in the wallet had been his lifeline. He'd needed to switch clothes. The ones he'd stolen were so big they looked ridiculous and would eventually invite scrutiny. He found a Goodwill in a neighboring town and bought jeans and a couple of t-shirts for $10. With the cash that remained he was able to buy a little food and the rest was left for gas. But he also needed to switch cars again. He couldn't keep the Honda. It wasn't practical. He required a car with keys that he could drive like a normal person, not a person who had just escaped from prison. The only problem was getting a different car without stealing it and drawing attention was going to be infinitely more difficult than getting clothes or food. He'd been fortunate, though. He overheard an interesting conversation while shopping in nearby Cropsyville about a couple that were on a month-long mediterranean cruise. That was exactly the break he needed. It hadn't been hard to find their place based on the conversation. He had broken in, taken their car and left the Honda in their garage. He'd also helped himself to whatever food, supplies and money he found in their house. Eventually they'd come back, the Honda would be found, the break in would be reported. But it would be done by then and he'd be in another state.

They finally reached the partner's silver car and got in. He started up the black Toyota SUV he'd stolen and waited for the silver car to merge onto the street. He watched the car pull forward and start down the road. He followed, maintaining plenty of distance. He was curious where they were going looking so happy. He was going to find out. He wanted to know everything she was doing. It was the only way to he was going to get to her. As he drove, he pictured the three of them walking happily down the sidewalk and the slightest whisper of an idea started to form in his mind. An idea that would get him everything he wanted and then some. He eyed the silver car ahead and continued contemplating the possibilities. Yes, he thought. If he could pull this off, he would hold all of the cards. He hit the large knob in the center of the console and a loud rock song began blasting through the speakers. _Let the fun begin._

* * *

Will Zara see the snow leopards? Will Brian get his souvenir? Find out next chapter. (said in a very dramatic voice) Much lighter than chapter 1, right? Let me know what you think.


	3. Chapter 3

I know I always start the same way, but as always I want to thank those who reviewed the last chapter. It is much appreciated. This chapter is way too long and a bit slow so my apologies on that. Unfortunately it's all planned out a certain way in my head and I have to go with it. I had more trouble with this chapter than 1 & 2. Probably because I was cheating on chapter 3 with chapters 4 & 5. I just couldn't get my mind off of 4 & 5. The end of chapter 3 kicks off the shift back to darkness and we wallow in the darkness for a good long while after that. There's a good chance I'm going to have to change this to an M in the future just to be safe. I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. So anyway...hope you enjoy and let me know what you think.

* * *

It turned out to be a beautiful day. The sky was cloudless, the sun was shining. Nick, Olivia and Zara had ditched their jackets after an hour, enjoying the warmth of a nice 65 degree day. The zoo was crowded. It seemed the promise of such beautiful weather had given everyone the same idea. There was an endless stream of people, walking the paths, congregating around the animal enclosures, jostling for position in the best viewing spots. There was a consistent buzz of excited chatter that could be heard throughout the park. The smell of french fries, burgers and pizza permeated the air.

Nick, Olivia and Zara were seated at a small table in the Terrace Cafe having taken a break to eat lunch. Nick was still finishing off his burger and fries, while Olivia and Zara sat huddled together over a zoo word search...Zara with pen in hand, her face a mask of concentration and Olivia watching and offering her help when it was requested.

"So what's your favorite animal so far," Nick asked his daughter.

Zara looked up and considered his question for a moment. "Mmmm...I think the gorillas."

"The gorillas, huh? Why the gorillas?"

Zara looked at her father as if he was missing something obvious. "Because they're funny," she giggled and put her head back down.

Olivia raised her eyebrows at Nick and laughed with Zara.

"That they are," Nick agreed, smiling at the two of them. His daughter, his partner. Two of the most important people in his life. He couldn't imagine a better way to spend a day.

After a few minutes, Zara appeared to have finished her word search. She put the pen down and stared at her father. "Can we go see the snow leopards now?"

They had tried to see them first thing when they entered the zoo, but had found a sign on the enclosure explaining the habitat was being cleaned and requesting visitors come back after 11:00 am.

Nick checked his watch. It was 11:30. "We sure can."

Zara was ecstatic. She hopped out of her chair, positively glowing with excitement.

They started the long walk to the back of the zoo, following blue signs labeled Himalayan Highlands where the exhibit was located. On the way, they passed through Tiger Mountain and managed to get Zara to stop for a few minutes to observe the tigers, figuring they should see as much as they could on the way. They passed through Reptile World next, which both Zara and Olivia seemed happy to skip altogether. As they were leaving the area, Zara stopped in her tracks.

"Look," she yelled, pointing to a large, colorful turtle made of some kind of stone that two children were currently seated on, their parents a few feet away snapping pictures.

"Very cool," Olivia agreed. "I think we definitely need to get a picture of you on it."

Zara nodded her head while continuing to watch the two children still situated on the giant turtle, eagerly waiting for them to dismount.

Finally the parents seemed to have had their fill of pictures and went to help their children off of the turtle. Zara rushed forward, attempting to climb up on her own, but the figure was just a little too tall and she slid back down. Nick ran forward, grabbed Zara and swept her up and onto the back of the giant turtle. He turned around, walked a couple of steps back, and then faced her again. He smiled and gave her a thumbs up. Zara waved happily to him as if he were miles away and she was desperately trying to get his attention.

Olivia pulled out her phone and navigated to the camera function. She started to raise the phone up to take a picture, but then she stopped and faced Nick. "Why don't you get in there with her?"

"Yeah, Dad! Come on!"

Olivia motioned to Zara, "You heard her."

"Ok," Nick complied, shrugging. He ran back to stand beside the large turtle figure, putting an arm around his daughter. Olivia raised her phone and took a shot of father and daughter smiling.

She was about to take another one when she sensed someone at her side. She twisted on the spot and found a pleasant-looking older couple smiling at her.

"Hi," she said in an uncertain voice.

"Dear, I'll do that," the older woman said gesturing to her phone. "You go get in the picture with your husband and daughter." The woman reached for her phone as Olivia began to protest. "No, I'm not...I mean, they're not..." But she was cut off by Nick's voice. "Come on Liv, get in here." She looked at Nick, shaking her head, feeling like it would be weird, especially after they had just been mistaken for a family. But then she looked at Zara. She was beckoning her forward with her hand. That was all it took...it was like she was on autopilot, even her traitorous feet knew she couldn't say no. She relinquished the hold on her phone, while pointing to the camera screen still on display. "You just have to tap the screen where that circular button is and..."

"Hon, I have 4 grandchildren. Trust me, I've got this figured out by now."

"Oh, right...ok." She hurried forward to the large turtle on the opposite side of where Nick was standing. She leaned in towards Zara, and wrapped an arm around her.

"Ok, everybody smile," the woman said, her voice lilting playfully.

They heard the click of the camera once and then a second time. After a few more photos, the older woman lowered the phone and started walking toward them to return it to Olivia. Olivia met her half way while Nick helped Zara down from the giant turtle. "Thank you..."

"Grace," the older woman replied with a genuine smile. "That's my husband, Henry," she said pointing to the older man who was waiting a few feet back. Henry waved genially.

Olivia waved back. "Well, thank you Grace. That was very kind of you." Olivia accepted the phone from Grace's outstretched hand.

"Oh you're welcome. You all enjoy the rest of this beautiful day." She waved to Zara and Nick, who had not quite reached them yet, and then returned to where Henry was waiting for her. She grabbed his hand and they continued strolling along in the opposite direction.

"Can I see the pictures," Zara asked as she reached Olivia, Nick following closely behind.

Olivia opened her phone's photo album and gave the phone to Zara. She began scrolling through the pictures, studying each one of them carefully. Nick and Olivia both watched Zara examining the pictures until Olivia finally broke the silence.

"Surprise, you're married again," she cracked, motioning to Grace and Henry who were slowly disappearing from sight.

Nick followed her gaze to the older couple. He turned back to her and grinned. "Who gets to tell Cassidy? I volunteer to do the honors."

Olivia rolled her eyes and laughed at this.

"You know, she wasn't that far off. We're partners, so we're practically married," Nick reminded her, good-naturedly.

"Can't argue with that," she conceded, considering she spent more time with him than anyone else.

"This one." Zara declared, interrupting their conversation, holding the phone up for them to see.

"Yeah, that's a good one," Nick agreed taking the phone from her and inspecting the picture. He held the phone out to Olivia. She took it and examined the picture of the three of them, smiling, happy. It was a good picture. She nodded her head in approval.

"I'll send it to your dad," she told Zara.

They charged forward again on their mission to get to the snow leopards, Zara becoming more enthusiastic with each blue sign they passed. When the enclosure was within sight, she ran the last few feet to it.

There was a mass of people in front of the opening watching two large cats run, jump and swat at each other playfully. They were putting on a quite the show. Nick came up behind Zara and lifted her onto his shoulders so she could see the action. She chatted excitedly to her father about every movement the cats made, though Nick could see everything that was happening. After watching the action for a couple of minutes, Olivia decided to look around and see if there was anything else to view in the area. She walked to one side of the enclosure and then the other, when she noticed a second, smaller group of people huddled around one small area of glass. She hurried to the glass to see what they were watching and then she jogged back to where Nick was still standing with Zara on his shoulders.

"Zara, come with me," Olivia beckoned with a wide smile. Nick put his daughter down and she ran to Olivia, grabbing her outstretched hand. They all ran around the corner to the glass opening in the enclosure, squeezing in next to two little boys and their parents who stood behind them.

"Look," Olivia said, pointing. On the other side of the glass was a young snow leopard cub, half the size of the two adult cats they had previously been viewing. The young cub was stretched out on her back, paws against the glass, seemingly as entertained by the people on the other side as they were with her.

"Awwwwwww," Zara squeaked. She put her hand to the glass and moved it slowly, back and forth as if she was petting the cat. "She's soooo cute!"

The little boy standing next to Zara turned to her while pointing at the young snow leopard. "Her name is Maya, right Mommy," the boy questioned, looking back at his mother. "Yes, Ethan, that's the baby Maya." Zara grinned, happy to have a name to assign to the adorable young cub.

Zara watched Maya intently, taking in every movement, every sound. Olivia pulled out her phone and held it out in front of her. "Hey Zara, smile."

Zara spun toward her and when she saw the intent was to take her picture with Maya, she leaned closer to her and smiled broadly. Olivia took the picture and then held the phone out for Nick to see while Zara resumed observing Maya.

"Wow, you weren't kidding, she's mesmerized," Olivia said, watching Zara.

"Yeah, I have a feeling we're going to be here a while," Nick admitted.

But after about 5 minutes had passed Maya rolled over to her stomach and got to her feet. She paced back and forth against the glass a few times and then in a flash, she bolted further into the enclosure where she could no longer be seen. Zara's shoulders fell in disappointment. She got up, turned away from the glass and looked to Nick and Olivia with sad eyes.

"Hey, there's nothing to be sad about. We can't stay here and watch them all day anyway," Nick told her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "And, I bet if we go to the gift shop, you could find a snow leopard to take home with you. What about that?"

Zara brightened up and nodded her head vigorously.

They made their way to the front of the zoo, into the main building where the gift shop was located. Zara's eyes lit up with excitement as they entered the shop, seeing all the zoo merchandise for the first time. She weaved in and out of racks of clothing, aisles of souvenir cups and toys, Nick and Olivia shadowing her every move. She stopped when she came to a wall full of stuffed animals in every size and variety imaginable. It didn't take Zara long to find what she was looking for...she pointed to a medium-sized stuffed snow leopard mid way up the shelf.

"Can I have that one, Dad?" she asked, hopefully. Nick grabbed the stuffed animal and held it out to her.

"This one?" Zara nodded her head enthusiastically.

"Alright, mi pajarita. Let's go get in line so we can pay for it."

He put his hands on her back starting to usher her toward the cashier, when she stopped him.

"Wait, Olivia has to get something for Brian." She turned to Olivia and looked up at her expectantly.

"Oh...you're right. You have a very good memory." Olivia shared a glance with Nick that said she hadn't expected her to remember that particular promise.

"Why don't you pick out something for Brian?" Olivia swept her hand around the gift shop. "I think you're probably better at this than I am."

Zara appeared ready to take on this newest task. She gazed around the gift shop, a finger to her mouth, considering all options. She led them through a maze of aisles, picking up random items and then setting them back down. Eventually she returned to the wall of stuffed animals, scanning the contents from top to bottom, her eyes narrowed in concentration. Finally, she walked forward and selected a stuffed gorilla off of the shelf and handed it to Olivia.

Olivia took it from her and held it out so she could look at it. "A gorilla, huh?"

"Yep," Zara chirped back.

Nick was shaking with barely contained laughter. Olivia glared at him and then turned back to Zara.

"Brian will love it," she said, smiling at the little girl.

"It's perfect, Zara," Nick agreed, a hand placed affectionately on her head. He met Olivia's reproachful frown with his own innocent smile and shrug.

"You're having way too much fun with this," Olivia admonished, but in the same breath she felt her own stony façade give way to amusement. She couldn't hide the grin that appeared on her face and instead she looked past Nick, out the window of the gift shop, shaking her head. Her eyes lazily scanned the crowd outside the shop out of habit until she thought she caught sight of something familiar. She did a double take. Surely, it wasn't what...or who she thought it was. Then she froze. Her smile faltered and she heard her own sharp intake of breath. She couldn't move, she couldn't breathe. He was there. Lewis. It was him. She could see him through the window, mere feet away, standing outside of the bathrooms, staring at her while people rushed around him oblivious to the devil in the room. Her heart was racing, heat surged through her shaking body and she felt herself sway unsteadily on her feet.

"Liv." Nick noticed the abrupt change in her demeanor, the way her body shook with small tremors. He was immediately on guard. "Olivia," he implored more insistently, hoping to draw her out of the trance she was lost in.

Her eyes flickered to his for a brief second and then back to the window. He saw that she was terrified. Her head shook in wordless horror, unable to vocalize the source of her terror. He followed her horrified gaze, trying to make some sense of what was going on.

He didn't see anything. He watched Olivia watching the crowd of people that was gathered outside of the bathrooms. Her eyes seemed be searching for someone or something... Whatever it was, she wasn't finding it.

"Liv, are you ok?" Nick asked in a concerned voice. "What's wrong?"

Olivia turned back to him and let out a shaky breath. "I saw him...or I thought I did."

"Lewis." Nick stated matter of factly.

Olivia nodded. She dropped her eyes to the ground, avoiding further eye contact with him. "It happens sometimes...I'm sorry." She was embarrassed and frustrated. She thought back to the trial and how the stress in the days leading up to it had her seeing Lewis everywhere. It always felt so real. It had been maddening. But, why now? Why today when she was having such a good time with Nick and Zara and Lewis was so far away from her mind? She reasoned with herself that the shock of finding out he had escaped had inevitably reopened some old wounds and there was no rhyme or reason to how or when the mind coped. Still, the flashbacks, the hallucinations, the nightmares...they made her feel damaged. And she hated it. It had been almost a year now, when was this going to end? But what she hated even more was that her partner had witnessed this most recent episode. How was he supposed to trust her when he saw her like this? Her weakness laid out in front of him, on display...how could he not have doubts about her? In her head she knew that this was something beyond her control and was no indication of her strength or worth as a cop and partner. But the strong, proud part of her that wanted to be seen as the same capable cop and partner that she'd always been couldn't help but feel like a lesser version of her former self.

"Hey," he whispered softly, taking her hand in his. "Don't ever feel like you have to apologize to me or to anyone else. You're still recovering, Liv. And you just went through an incredibly rough trial not that long ago. Give yourself a break."

She squeezed his hand gratefully. "Sometimes this process feels like one step forward and 5 gigantic leaps back," she said with a sad smile. He detected a certain amount of weariness in her voice.

He considered repeating the same thing he'd told her several times over the past year. That she was strongest, bravest person he'd ever met and he felt lucky to have her as a partner. But he knew how that went. She'd get embarrassed and say thanks but she didn't feel like she was any of those things. That was Olivia, though. She held herself to impossible, superwoman-like standards. He wasn't entirely convinced there wasn't a giant "S" concealed beneath the black v-neck shirt she wore now.

"Dad, what's wrong?" Zara asked, having picked up on the serious tone of their conversation.

"Nothing baby, everything's fine. We'd better go get in line." She seemed skeptical of his attempt at reassurance and she watched Olivia carefully as she walked ahead of them to the line holding the gorilla that was meant for Brian.

Zara suddenly whipped around and ran back to the wall of stuffed animals before her father could protest. She grabbed a tiger from one of the shelves and turned back to her father, holding it out to him.

"Can we get this for Olivia?"

Nick smiled at his daughter. He saw the gesture for what it was...an attempt at cheering his partner up. He thought it was a great idea. "Of course, mija."

He put his hand on her back, guiding her back to the line. "Why the tiger?" he questioned, curious.

She turned her head and looked back at him as she walked forward, giving him the same reproachful look she'd given him earlier when he'd questioned her about why she liked the gorillas - like he was missing the obvious answer. "Because they're pretty, like Olivia."

"That they are," he said echoing his response from earlier. _Beautiful_, he thought. _They're beautiful_.

* * *

She had seen him. He limped as fast as he could to his car, afraid to run and risk drawing attention. He listened as he walked, waiting to hear the sound of sirens. God, he'd been so stupid and reckless. Just like Archer said he was. He should've never gone inside the building. He knew better. But 3 boring hours in the car, an uncomfortably full bladder, and aching legs had made him weak-willed. He had considered emptying his bladder in some corner of the parking lot, but he was surrounded by parents with children who wouldn't appreciate his exposing himself. That was exactly the kind of attention he was trying to avoid. And he couldn't leave, he had to be there when she left. So he had reasoned that his best course of action would be to go inside and use the bathroom. Afterall, how many people really stood between him and a bathroom? It couldn't be that many. And they were parents with whiney, screaming kids who wouldn't be bothered to look at his face. Truthfully, there was something about the thought about being among the people inside that excited him. It was also dangerous. Nevertheless, his justifications won out and he had entered the main building of the zoo to use the bathroom. All had gone according to plan, no one had given him a second thought. And then he saw her through the gift shop window as he was exiting the bathroom and he couldn't make himself move. He had watched her like a predator watched its prey. That is until her eyes had locked with his. Then he had ducked out of sight and walked away as quickly as possible, certain there would be a trail of law enforcement behind him.

He reached the black Toyota SUV and started it. "No cops," he said aloud, the inflection of his voice made it sound like a question. He didn't know what to make of this. She had seen him, much to his chagrin. It was only a matter of time before they were here, right? He concentrated on listening for sirens again, but he still heard nothing. Surely it wouldn't take the cops this long to respond. And what about her and her partner? Wouldn't they have come after him, guns blazing. Maybe not, he thought. They did have the little girl.

He continued to sit in the car, hands on the wheel, ready to leave. He just wasn't quite convinced yet that he had to leave. As each second went by with no sirens, no glimpse of a cop car, no indication at all that he had been caught, he began to think maybe he wasn't caught at all. She'd seen him, of that he was sure. He saw the look on her face. There was no mistaking the recognition and the horror in her eyes. But for one reason or another, it appeared she didn't believe what she had seen. Maybe he had gotten lucky.

Five minutes later, he knew he had. He saw them exit through the gate, walking toward their car, holding stuffed animals and chatting animatedly. He slouched down in the driver seat, unwilling to take any further chances even though he was a good 5 or 6 rows away. They all got in the car and again he waited for the car to start moving so he could follow. He had been lucky, so incredibly lucky. He resolved to be more careful from now on. By the end of the day, he'd have all the information he'd need. And then, it would be time to move. He was so close to getting what he wanted. There could be no more mistakes.

* * *

"This is going to be a long night," Nick groaned, rubbing at his eyes.

"What's the matter Nick, you haven't recovered from your wild day yesterday?" Fin joked.

Nick shook his head at the lame pun. "Really?" Fin chuckled.

"I stayed up late last night after Zara fell asleep, priming her room." He'd gotten a new place after the shooting. It was a nice 3 bedroom house with a little more space than his last place. And, though it needed a little work, it was starting to feel like home. Zara had her own room, but he hadn't had a chance to really make it hers yet. The walls were an ugly shade of yellow and the carpet needed replaced. He was going to paint the room a nice shade of purple this week when Zara was back in D.C. and surprise her with it next weekend. But she was so exhausted from the trip to the zoo, that she had fallen asleep in the living room watching a movie. He had seen an opportunity. He wasn't sure what had possessed him to start painting at 9 pm. But it was worth it when she saw the first coat of purple after he put it on the next morning.

"Ah man, what were you thinking?" Fin asked, shaking his head.

"I was thinking that I had the weekend off," Nick bantered back.

Technically the squad did have the weekend off. But when a vic that turned up in the hospital was suspected to have escaped the serial killer that had already claimed 3 lives, there was no such thing as time off. They had opted for an all female presence to interview the victim, so Olivia and Amanda went to the hospital while he and Fin worked the crime scene. Fin read through the file in his hand.

"No prints, no dna...this guy's a regular Houdini."

Nick nodded somberly. "At least this girl is alive. Hopefully Liv and Amanda got something useful from her."

As if on cue, Olivia and Amanda entered the squad room, appearing very weary.

Fin watched them both take a seat at their respective desks and glanced between them. "How'd it go with the vic? She give you anything that will help us get this guy?"

"Awful," Olivia muttered, elbow propped up on her desk, forehead resting in her hand. The interview had taken a toll on her.

"Her name is Maddie Roberts," Amanda continued. "24 years old. The girl is traumatized and pretty banged up. She couldn't tell us much. No description of her attacker...he wore a mask. And a very vague estimate on height and weight. We're going to have her meet with a sketch artist tomorrow and see if she's any clearer." Amanda looked down at her notes. "Uh...the perp didn't say anything while he was there. And it appears he was scared off by police sirens. There was a disturbance at the apartment building across the street and he must've thought they were coming for him. Maddie says he bolted as soon as the sirens got close."

"Are we sure this isn't..."

"It's not him, " Olivia interjected, knowing exactly what Fin was thinking. "The first murder took place 3 weeks ago, two weeks before he escaped. And Maddie said the guy wasn't much taller than her. She's 5'4."

The four of them shared a look...there was a certain amount of relief that it wasn't him, but at the end of the day, they still had a monster to catch.

The silence was interrupted by the sound of Nick's phone ringing. He picked it up off of his desk and checked the number. It was Maria. He got up from his desk, walked a few feet away and answered the call.

"Hey Maria, sorry I couldn't..."

"Nick." They had been married for years, he knew her voice...it sounded wrong. "Nick please tell me Zara is with you." A cold dread began to seep into his own bones.

"No, I got called in. My mom's staying with her at the house. You haven't picked her up yet?"

"Oh God." Maria began uttering unintelligible words amidst sobs and Nick, in his panic, fought the urge to scream at her.

"Maria, I need you to tell me what's going on. Now." Each syllable he spoke was laced with desperation.

"I'm at your house. Your mom...Nick, it's bad. Zara's not here," She cried. "She's gone."

He couldn't recall letting go of the phone or hearing it crash to the floor. His mind registered one thought and one thought only. Zara gone. The words felt foreign to his mind. This couldn't be right.

He was vaguely aware of his partner's worried voice behind him. "Nick what's wrong," she probed, anxiously.

He spun to face her, looking around the squad room in shock, his hand to his mouth trying to hold in the sob that wanted to tear free from his lips. Olivia came closer to him, her brown eyes shone with concern. "Nick," she whispered softly, the question implied in her tone. Nick took his hand away from his mouth. "Zara's gone," he said in an anguished voice. And then he sprinted out of the squad room.

* * *

Ok, again...entirely too long, so if you made it this far, thanks for sticking it out.


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks to all who are reading and a special shout out to the rock stars reviewing. I swear my chapters get longer as I go. However, I was told by a reader that there's no such thing as a chapter that is too long, so I'm taking that as carte blanche to be as wordy as I like. ;o) Police procedure and medical knowledge are not my thing, so I apologize for any and all inaccuracies and ask that you blame google instead of me. I don't own Law and Order SVU or any of the characters...blah, blah, blah. Hope you enjoy the read.

* * *

Nick stood in the doorway of the small room with purple walls, staring at his daughter's empty bed and the half-packed school bag that lay across it. The stuffed snow leopard, Maya, he'd bought Zara at the zoo lay outside of her bag, taunting him mercilessly. She never would've left without Maya. It had been in her hands every second since they'd returned from the zoo.

The rapid clicking of a camera shutter interrupted his silent reflection. He reluctantly looked back around the door frame to where CSUs were photographing a large, deep, red stain against the thick, cream-colored fibers of the carpet in his living room. The contrast of it was chilling. He dropped his gaze to the baseball bat that lay just feet from him, the end of it stained red with blood. His mother's blood. He was assaulted by images of her as he'd found her when he arrived, her head broken open, lifeless, lying in a pool of her own blood. He swallowed down a wave of nausea at the thought. It had been 2 hours since he'd watched the ambulance take her away to the hospital, Maria following behind in her blue 4 door. He wanted to be with his mother. He was afraid she wouldn't make it after seeing the severity of her injury, but he couldn't abandon Zara. She needed him right now. Maria, having seen his dilemma and knowing she could do nothing to help the investigation, had offered to go to the hospital with his mother. It must've been difficult for her and he was incredibly grateful. He hadn't heard anything from her yet. He hoped no news was good news.

One of the CSU technicians picked up the bat and began dusting it for prints. He resumed his examination Zara's room. He recalled her delight at seeing the new color on the walls and the wrinkle of her nose as she inhaled the smell of the fresh paint earlier that morning. He sniffed, hoping to find some small comfort in that smell. He found none. The only odor he could detect now was the sickening metallic stench of blood.

He felt a hand on his shoulder, but he didn't bother to turn around. He already knew who it belonged to. The soft vibration of her voice behind him confirmed it.

"Nick, we are going to find her."

He faced her and ran a hand over his face. Olivia had been every bit the Sergeant for the past 2 hours. She'd arrived just minutes after he had and promptly called Fin and Amanda, the CSU, and gotten uniformed officers out in the neighborhood searching for Zara...everything he should've done when he'd arrived. But he'd been paralyzed by fear, horror and a certain surreality to the situation. He had almost been convinced it was all a nightmare. Except there was a blood stain in his living room and a stuffed snow leopard in an empty bedroom with purple walls.

"It's been 2 hours." His eyes were wet with unshed tears. "What's happening to her?"

Olivia held up her hands. "Nick, no, you can't think like that." He was distraught. She was afraid he would shatter to pieces in front of her and she wouldn't be able to put him back together. But what kind of comfort could she offer a man who had lost his entire world? She walked forward and wrapped her arms around him. He was rigid at first and then she felt the tension leave his body. He squeezed her tightly to him, holding on to her like she was going to disappear next.

"I can't lose her." His voice was broken and it made her heart ache.

"Listen to me," she said leaning out of his embrace, meeting his eyes. "I promise you we are going to bring her home," she said with unwavering determination. There was a steely resolve in her eyes. It was a look he knew well. At times it had been his enemy, but right now it was his friend. He believed in the mettle behind that look.

"Come on," she said, motioning for him to follow her.

They walked down the hallway, through the blood-stained living room, to the kitchen, where they met Fin and Amanda.

"Anything," Nick asked, looking at them hopefully.

"Not yet," Amanda answered, eyeing Nick sympathetically. "No sign of forced entry and no finger prints on the bat at first glance."

"Unis are canvasing the neighborhood looking for witnesses, AMBER Alert's been issued and we have an APB out on Zara to every police station, tollway, bus station, airport, train station...you name it," Fin reported.

The ringing of a phone echoed from Nick's side and he pulled the phone out of his coat, turned around and answered it eagerly.

Olivia, Amanda and Fin watched him, then Olivia turned to them and let out a heavy sigh. "When we're finished here, we need to get back to the precinct - regroup, check for sex offenders in the area and start looking at past cases. Find out who's been released recently."

Fin and Amanda nodded in agreement. "This wasn't a break in, might be someone they know," Fin suggested.

"Yeah," Olivia agreed, distractedly, "maybe. We'll have Nick and Maria make a suspect list."

They listened as Nick ended his conversation and met him with questioning stares, wordlessly waiting for an update.

He pointed to the phone before stuffing it back in his pocket. "That was Maria. She said my mother never regained consciousness. She's in surgery right now and it's probably going to be awhile."

"That's good news, right," Amanda asked, hesitantly. "She made it into surgery, that has to be a good sign."

"Yeah," Nick said softly, eyes down examining his hands, "it is."

Olivia, Fin and Amanda shared a glance before Olivia spoke up. "CSU is almost done and there's nothing more we can do here. Let's head back to the precinct."

They all stared at Nick, waiting for his response. He paused, looked back into the living room and nodded his voiceless assent.

* * *

He'd been driving for hours, but he was finally getting close. The highway he was traveling was dark and deserted which suited him just fine. He glanced to the back where his guest was laid out across the seat. She was sleeping soundly thanks to the pill he'd forced her to take. She'd needed it after he'd beaten the old woman. But that, too, was a necessity. He couldn't have a witness left to report the disappearance. He'd needed time to get out of the city and he'd made sure he got it.

No, it was best for her to sleep. He liked the quiet. It allowed him to focus on the next step, on what was so close to being within his grasp. One more trip. He would drive this particular stretch of highway one more time with another guest in the car. And she? She would sit in the passenger seat beside him, uncuffed, and she'd never think to run away. He knew that like he knew his own face. She'd do it naked if he told her to. He grinned. The anticipation was so great he was practically shaking with it. But he had to find the right time and place to get to her.

He glanced back again at the little girl, looking for signs that she was stirring. He recalled watching her come out of the apartment building that day and it gave him an idea. He decided they needed to have a little chat. She might just be useful as something more than bait.

* * *

Hours had passed and they still had no leads on who had taken Zara. Olivia finally convinced Nick that he should take a break and go to the hospital. She knew Maria would be waiting for an update and she hoped there would be some news on his mother.

They all sat, side by side, backs to the wall, watching the set of double doors that led to the surgical rooms. It was quiet except for the sound coming from the TV mounted high up on the wall across from them.

Nick and Olivia updated Maria on the investigation, explaining everything that was being done to find Zara. Maria told them what she knew of Cesaria's condition which wasn't much.

"I just can't believe this is happening," Maria said, wiping at her eyes. "I keep thinking I'm going to wake up and she'll be here, but she's not. I hate sitting here, I hate that I can't do anything to find her." Fresh tears were rolling down her cheeks.

"You helped by being here," Nick assured her. "We will bring her home."

"It's been hours. She must..."

Maria stopped mid sentence and placed a hand over her mouth. She was staring at the TV, her eyes wide, looking as though she'd seen a ghost. Nick and Olivia followed her gaze. It was an AMBER alert broadcast. There was a picture of Zara on the TV. She was kneeling down and smiling next to a window of glass with a little snow leopard on the other side. It was the picture Olivia had taken of her at the zoo. They listened as the news anchor gave details about what Zara was wearing when she went missing.

Nick reached a hand over and placed it on Maria's, both continuing to stare at the TV and the picture of their daughter.

The alert ended abruptly and they all sat in silence, resuming their watch of the double doors.

A few minutes later, a good-looking, middle-aged man dressed in scrubs walked into the waiting room, scanning the faces.

"Family of Cesaria Amaro."

"Yes." Nick jumped out of his chair, Olivia and Maria falling in beside him.

"And you are?"

"I'm her son, Nick Amaro."

"Ok, Mr. Amaro. I'm Dr. Adams," he held his hand out to Nick and Nick shook it quickly, "I'm treating your mother."

"How is she," Nick asked anxiously.

"Your mother suffered what we call a decompression skull fracture caused by a blow to the head. Essentially, a portion of your mother's skull was hit with such force that it caused part of the skull to break away and extend into the brain cavity."

Nick closed his eyes and rolled his head from one side to another. Olivia placed a hand on his forearm, silently offering up her support.

Dr. Adams continued, "Your mother underwent brain surgery when she was brought in to remove fragments of her skull that entered the brain cavity and repair any damage those pieces did. We also added a synthetic piece of skull where the fracture occurred to protect the brain. She's out of surgery and we'll be moving her to the ICU shortly."

"So she's going to be ok," Nick asked hopefully. Maybe she would wake up, maybe they would have a lead on Zara soon.

Dr. Adams looked up from his clipboard and his face softened, sympathetic blue eyes meeting Nick's. "I can't make any promises, Mr. Amaro. The brain is complicated. Our biggest enemy right now is actually the body's natural healing mechanism. If you twist your ankle, it swells. No big deal," he said, flinging a hand out to the side. "It's the body's response to injury. The same thing happens when the brain is injured, but because the brain is enclosed in the skull, it creates pressure within the skull as it swells. Too much pressure and the brain gets pushed against the skull or down on the brain stem. If that happens we're looking at serious brain damage or worse."

"So what happens now? How do you stop that from happening," Nick asked, sounding a little impatient.

"We've put your mother in a medically induced coma." He paused, giving them a moment to absorb this information.

"A coma?" Nick's face fell. It wasn't the news he wanted...not for his mother and not for Zara.

"Yes," Dr. Adams confirmed, "it's a drastic action, but one that I feel is absolutely necessary. We essentially shut off your mother's brain. This will give her brain a chance to rest and hopefully heal itself while reducing the swelling."

"How long will she be in the coma?"

"I can't give you a specific time frame. It could be days, it could be weeks. It depends on what we're seeing from the brain scans and how well we are able to manage the swelling." He looked between the three of them. "I'm not going to lie to you, there is a chance that she won't wake up from this. There are no guarantees, but as I said earlier, I believe this is her best chance."

Nick looked away from Dr. Adams, running a hand through his hair. He wanted to ask his last question, but he felt his throat constricting with emotion and took his time, waiting for the sensation to disappear. "Can I see her?"

"Of course," Dr. Adams affirmed with a nod. "As soon as she's settled in the ICU."

Nick gave a brief nod. "Ok, thank you doctor."

Dr. Adams walked back through the double doors, disappearing from sight.

"You ok," Olivia asked Nick.

He continued watching the double doors where Dr. Adams had disappeared.

"Yeah. I guess I need to go to the ICU." He looked to Maria. "Thank you for everything. It means a lot that you were here, but you should go get some sleep."

She gave a sad smile at this. "I'm not sure I can sleep. I'd like to see her and then maybe I'll give it a try."

"Nick why don't you go ahead and we'll meet you up there. I wanted to see about getting a suspect list from Maria." Olivia turned Maria. "If that's ok with you?"

"Sure, anything."

He considered arguing that he should be present and participating in the interview, but then he recalled the Captain's directive that he steer clear of any witness interviews or interrogations of suspects or he'd send him home. He didn't want that, he needed to be able to do something. So instead he nodded and trudged ahead to the elevator.

"We're looking for an enemy, someone you fought with recently. Or maybe someone you noticed around Zara that seemed out of the ordinary. Anything at all," She told her gently. "It's standard procedure, Nick's doing the same thing."

Maria stared at the elevators, where Nick had been seconds ago, and then looked back to Olivia. "There is something that I need to tell you."

* * *

Amanda gazed at the clock on the wall with heavy eyes. She watched the seconds tick away, trying to wrap her mind around how many of those seconds Zara had spent away from her mother and father. _18 hours_. She continued counting the seconds. 18 hours is a long time, she thought.

They had no good leads. There was no ransom note, no call and no witnesses. Well there was one witness, but she was currently in a medically induced coma at Bellevue hospital.

Amanda let out a disgruntled growl and threw the file she was skimming down onto the desk, relishing the smacking sound it made. It sounded angry. She was getting there fast. She'd only felt this frustrated and useless at her job once before. That had been nearly a year ago when they'd spent 4 days searching for Olivia, only to turn up empty with every new lead. She would never forget the feeling of watching Olivia walk out of the squad room painfully aware that, for all of their effort, they had been no where near finding her. Olivia, after being beaten, tortured, starved and dehydrated, had to fight her way out of hell, because they hadn't helped her. The guilt still ate at her even now. It had almost destroyed the squad. Now it was Zara. But Zara wasn't Olivia. She was a little girl, she wasn't going to be able to fight her way out of her hell. They would have to find her. That realization brought her back to the stack of files on her desk. She and Fin had started digging through old cases looking for any perps that had recently been released. Especially anyone that stood out as having a vendetta against Nick.

"You finding anything," she asked amid a yawn.

"Nah. Most of the guys in these files are still in prison. And the ones that aren't don't really stick out as having any real beef with Amaro."

Amanda nodded. "Ok, I think we still have a few recents that are worth looking at." Amanda went to the whiteboard, marker in hand.

"Could be blowback from shooting Yusef," she continued, writing the name 'Yusef' up on the board. "Nick's house was shot at while the case was ongoing. There were probably a lot of unhappy people when he wasn't indicted. Maybe someone's idea of revenge?"

"Maybe," Fin said a little skeptically. "But that all seems to have died down. And doing that to his mom? Using his kid like that? Seems a little extreme for Reverend Curtis and that crowd, right?"

"Ok, BX9," Amanda stated, scribbling 'BX9'. "O.G.'s in prison, maybe he found out Nick got information from Wilfredo and blames him for the conviction."

"Except Wilfredo's still out there doing his thing as far as I know. Wilfredo would've been the first person O.G.'s boys targeted."

"Yeah." Amanda agreed, narrowing her eyes at the board.

"Besides, the way Barba tells it, O.G. threatened Liv."

"Seriously," Amanda interrupted, obviously hearing this information for the first time.

"Yeah, a direct threat according to Barba. Liv didn't back down though, she dared him to try it." There was an unmistakable measure of pride in Fin's voice.

"I'm not surprised," Amanda looked away from Fin, her eyebrows furrowed. "I don't like it, though."

"After this last year, who does? But since we're on the subject, what about him?" He gave her a knowing look.

Amanda's eyes flashed with recognition. She went to the whiteboard and wrote the name 'Lewis' on it and then crossed her arms. "That's been in the back of my mind, too. I don't know, though. Lewis has a very specific MO and this isn't it. It doesn't feel like him. Besides why would Lewis be targeting Nick?"

"Well he did testify against him at the trial."

"So did we. It doesn't make any sense. It's always been about Olivia for Lewis. He fixated on her from day one. She escaped him, she kicked his ass and she put him in prison. If he was out for revenge, we both know he'd be coming for her."

Her matter-of-fact proclamation hung like a haunting specter in the air. It was an all too real possibility they had been facing. Amanda felt her skin prickle at the thought. She shook her head, trying to clear her mind of the image of that particular monster. They had enough to worry about right now.

"I guess it's back to digging through files," Fin sighed.

"Yeah." Amanda went back to her desk and put her head down in frustration. "What worries me, as crazy as it sounds, is that it's not revenge," she confided.

She lifted her eyes to meet Fin's and saw her own fears mirrored in his. Revenge had a twisted sort of order to it. They could track that. But a nameless, faceless nobody who took Zara just because they wanted her? Amanda shuddered at the thought of what that meant for Zara.

"Anything," the Captain asked, approaching their desks.

"Not much," Amanda said dejectedly. "A couple of calls on the AMBER Alert but those turned out to be nothing. The Feds don't have anything on their radar. We've been digging through these case files," she held up a manilla folder full of papers, "but with no real evidence so far, we don't have any solid suspects."

"What about on Maria's side? Have we checked into any enemies she might have, anyone out of the ordinary hanging around Zara," Cragen demanded.

"Olivia already took care of that," Fin said holding up a piece of paper. "She went to the hospital with Nick and talked to Maria while she was there. She got a few names from her. She called them over a little while ago."

"There's one interesting person on the list," Amanda added. "Turns out Maria was seeing somebody...a Daniel Wells. She went out with him Friday night, they fought, she ended it and she hasn't talked to him since."

The Captain considered the information, his face emotionless. "Sounds like we need to pay him a visit."

* * *

He pulled his black SUV across the street from the apartment building and looked around. He didn't see their cars, but he hadn't really expected to. He got of the SUV and crossed the street, jogging with his head down. He reached the door of the building and pulled it open, stepping inside hesitantly. He surveyed the lobby of the building, but it was empty. He noted that there were cameras in opposite corners of the room. He could try to hide from them, but why bother? It didn't matter. Those cameras weren't going to help anyone find him if everything went as planned.

He approached the elevator and hit the up arrow with the knuckle of his pointer finger. He kept his eyes forward, focused on his distorted reflection visible in the metallic elevator doors. He heard the familiar ding of the elevator reaching its destination and watched as the doors opened in front of him. A man stepped out, talking on his phone, and walking swiftly towards the doors, never stopping to glance his way. _Good_. He stepped inside the elevator and hit the 7 in front of him. It lit up and he stepped back against the wall contemplating his next move. This was perhaps the only part of his plan that he couldn't guarantee. He was going to have to rely on his old standby...luck. The elevator reached the 7th floor and he turned left as he exited. He was faced with three doors. Three apartments...701, 703 and 705. Not bad, he thought. He liked his odds with only three apartments to contend with. But which one was it? Zara was a smart little girl with a good memory. She had been to the apartment so she had been very useful in getting him this far. But she couldn't tell him the number and he felt very sure she was scared enough that she wouldn't have lied. Well, he would just have to figure this part out on his own. He decided to go for door number 3, apartment 705. He walked further down the hall to the door on the left and tapped lightly on it, knowing if it was her apartment, no one was in there. He listened at the door but heard nothing. He decided this wasn't such a bad idea and did the same at the other doors. He definitely heard the sound of a tv coming from the door on the right, 701. But he got nothing from the middle door, 703. He stepped back and glanced between 703 and 705. He was rethinking his choice. Maybe the middle door. Wasn't the good stuff always behind the middle door? _703 it is_. He pulled out his knife and a paperclip and began to work on the lock.

Five minutes later, he was still huddled over the lock unable to crack it. He was starting to get frustrated. He heard the creak of a door and stashed his tools in his jeans pocket.

"Can I help you young man?"

He turned and found himself face to face with a chubby, older woman standing in the doorway of the apartment on the right with a phone in her hand.

"Uh, I..." _Think_. He pointed to the apartment in front of him. "My brother lives here, Brian. He lives with his girlfriend, Olivia Benson. This is their apartment, right?"

"Yes, it is," she confirmed, still sounding a little unsure of him.

"Yeah, I mean I've never been here before. I've been overseas...Afghanistan," he said, pointing to the scar on his face.

"Oh I see..." she nodded her head sympathetically and he could hear the uncertainty in her voice fade away.

"I'm sorry, my name is William...Will." He held out his hand to her. She smiled at him and took his hand, shaking it lightly.

"I'm their neighbor, Mrs. Stamford."

"Well, it's nice to meet you Mrs. Stamford," he said, flashing a charming smile.

"Anyway," he continued. "I haven't seen Brian and Olivia since I was deployed over a year ago, so my Mom and I...we had this plan to surprise them. She gave me the key to their apartment yesterday when I got in town. She's having dinner with them and then they're going to come back here...I was going to be here waiting in the apartment. Surprise, right? But I must've grabbed the wrong key." He held up the key to the Archer's shack, appearing very upset by his bad luck.

"Are there any staff on site," he asked, scratching absently at his head. "Maybe I could explain the situation to them..."

Mrs. Stamford shook her head. "No. I don't think so. Sorry Will." She did look genuinely sorry. Now what, he wondered. At least he knew which apartment it was. And maybe he'd approach her somewhere else, though he really was hoping for a private reunion.

"Man I can't believe I messed this up. Standing out in the hallway just doesn't seem like much of a surprise," he lamented. "Oh well. Thank you for your time Mrs. Stamford. It was nice to meet you."

He gave a small smile and started toward the elevator.

"Will, wait a second," she called to him. He stopped in his tracks, spun to face her, eyebrows raised, questioning.

She held up a finger and disappeared into her apartment. She came back a few moments later looking pleased with herself.

"Before Brian and Olivia moved in, there was an older, widowed gal like me who lived there. Well, not as old as me," she joked.

"Oh come on. What are you, 45?"

"65," she blushed.

"I never would've believed it. You make 65 look great."

She giggled like a school girl being charmed by the star quarterback. "Oh you're a sweet boy. Anyway, I took care of her cats when she traveled to see her kids, so she gave me this." She held up a bronze key and then offered it to him.

He took the key from her and smiled at her gratefully. "Mrs. Stamford you are a lifesaver," he told her, sincerely.

"Now don't go thanking me yet, you don't even know if it will work." She motioned to the door and he took that as his cue to test it out. He held the key up to the lock and slipped it inside. He paused for a minute, silently pleading for a miracle, and then twisted the key, feeling the lock give way.

"It worked." He motioned to the half-open door and then walked back to where she stood in the doorway, grinning. He offered her the key in his outstretched hand.

"No, keep that and give it to Brian and Olivia when they get home. There's no need for me to have that anymore. Truthfully, I had completely forgotten about it until you came along."

He closed his hand around the key. "Well, I'm so glad that you remembered it. You really saved the day," he assured her walking back to apartment 703.

"I hope Brian and Olivia enjoy the surprise," she said genuinely. "I'm sure they'll be thrilled to see you."

He stepped into the apartment, his back to her, hand resting on the doorway. "You have no idea," he answered, the timbre of his voice suddenly hard. He turned to face her again. "You have a good day," he said before closing the door of the apartment.

"Same to you," he heard her call out as the door shut.

He locked the door and turned, taking in the space around him. A devious grin contorted his face. "Honey, I'm home."

* * *

And that's all she...or I wrote for now. Hope you enjoyed, let me know what you think.


	5. Chapter 5

My sincerest apologies for the delay in posting this chapter. I feel like a big meanie considering where I left off. It was not intentional, I promise. My work schedule has made writing really difficult the past couple of weeks. The good news is my schedule will slow down soon and I should have more time. The response to last chapter was great, so thank you all for that. I hope you enjoy this chapter and feel free to let me know what you think.

* * *

"Hey," Fin called to Olivia as she entered the squad room, "how's Nick doing?"

She removed her coat and sat down, elbows resting on her desk. "He's..." she paused, considering her words, "shaken, desperate. I feel like I'm watching him try to swim out of a hurricane. He's not giving up, but he's barely holding his head above water."

"What happened to his mom is bad enough, but Zara missing, too? That's more than one person should have to handle."

Olivia nodded her head slowly, staring unfocused at her computer screen. "Yes it is," she whispered. She wished she could do more for her partner. Nick had been a constant for her the past year. She'd come back into the squad room a different person after her two months off, but he'd never doubted her and he had backed her even when he probably shouldn't have. His unwavering support and loyalty meant the world to her. If only she had a similar kind of gesture to offer him, some comfort that would see him through this storm. But all she had to offer were some pretty, but useless words and a shoulder to lean on. She felt woefully inadequate amid such abysmal circumstances.

She turned back to Fin. "He's leaving the hospital soon. Planning to come back here and go through his list again...maybe dig through some case files."

"He needs to be doing something, I get that."

"Yeah. Still no leads," she asked in a way that suggested she expected there to be none.

"Actually, Amanda and I were about to go check out a couple." Olivia's eyes widened at this news and she watched as Fin got up from his desk to retrieve a folder from Amanda's. "We re-ran a search of sex offenders in the area and came up with this guy," he pulled out a mug shot of a young man with a long, pointed nose, a sharp jaw line and shaggy, brown hair, "Lyle Jenkins. He lives 2 blocks away but didn't show up on our initial search. Turns out he moved into the neighborhood 10 days ago and his information was just updated in the registry."

"What was he convicted of," Olivia questioned.

"Raping his 9 year-old niece," Fin answered grimly.

Olivia felt her stomach drop. She'd been fighting against this kind of depravity for 15 years, she was well aware of the possibilities. But up until that moment she'd been so focused on the broad strokes of the case and their lack of leads, she'd managed to avoid seriously considering that Zara could be a victim of that kind of atrocity. Now she was smacked in the face with the reality of it. She looked down at her phone and found she had unconsciously navigated to the picture of her, Nick and Zara that was taken at the zoo. Had it really only been 2 days since they'd been there, smiling and laughing? It seemed like it had happened so long ago.

She was jolted out of her reverie by one of Fin's hands waving in her line of sight. "Earth to Olivia, you ok?"

"Yeah, sorry, just thinking," she said distractedly. "Go ahead."

He gave her a sympathetic look and then continued, "You remember the guy Maria was dating? Daniel Wells. We're also going to interview him. We tried to catch him at work earlier, but his secretary said he was gone for the day. Got a home address over on the west side," he said holding up a piece of paper, "so we'll stop by there after we go see Jenkins."

"How about I take Mr. Wells," she said, holding her hand out to him.

"You sure," Fin asked, handing her the piece of paper with the address scrawled on it. "You know it's supposed to start storming anytime."

Olivia looked down at the address. "I won't melt. Besides, that's over my way...it'll give me a chance to stop by the apartment, see Brian and grab a change of clothes."

She got up from her desk and began putting her coat back on.

"He's all yours. You gonna wait for your partner," Fin asked conspiratorially.

Olivia shook her head. "Captain says no and since Maria was seeing this guy, it's probably not a good idea."

"Yeah, probably not," Fin agreed.

Olivia shoved the address in her coat pocket and turned to Fin. "If Nick gets here before you guys leave, let him know what's going on and tell him I'll be back soon."

"Be safe out there."

"Yep." Olivia gave a half-smile then turned and walked out of the squad room. She stepped into the elevator and waited for the doors to close, taking her phone out of her pocket. She highlighted Brian on her contact list and hit send. The elevator jerked and then started it's descent. She put the phone to her ear, but it wasn't ringing. She held it out in front of her and saw that she had no service. Great. She shoved the phone back in her pocket and felt the piece of paper with Daniel Wells' address against her hand. She took it out, memorizing the information as she stepped out of the elevator and walked swiftly out of the precinct. She stepped out into the parking lot, noticing it was unusually dark for the time of day. She looked up at the sky...there were dark storm clouds rolling in ominously. It's going to be a rough night, she thought.

* * *

Brian Cassidy strolled into the elevator and hit the 7 on the elevator wall. He stepped back and sighed. He felt bad about going home to his empty apartment while much of the precinct was out looking for Zara Amaro. He wanted to be out there helping, but that wasn't his job. His job was to investigate other cops, he thought sardonically. He'd considered trying to see Olivia, offer his support. But he wasn't sure how that would be received. He and Amaro weren't exactly best buddies and he felt bad enough for the guy right now, he'd avoid any action that might antagonize him. He'd just have to call her later.

The elevator stopped at the 7th floor and he got out, turning left and walking quickly past the two apartments that flanked his own. He glanced at the apartment on the right, praying the door didn't open. He put his key in the lock as quietly as he could and twisted, opening the door with a quick motion and stepping inside to safety. He breathed a sigh of relief. Mrs. Stamford was a nice lady, but she really liked to talk. He couldn't count the number of times he'd been ambushed by her in the hallway, forced to take part in a 15 minute conversation about the Price is Right. He had rotten timing it seemed because somehow Olivia seemed to avoid these encounters. She, of course, thought it was hilarious. Well, he had good timing today.

He grabbed his phone from his coat pocket and then slipped out of the coat and threw it on the couch. He walked past the kitchen to the bedroom, eager to get out of his suit. He threw his phone on the bed and started rummaging through drawers. He pulled out a pair of jeans and a grey sweatshirt and laid them out on the bed. He started to loosen his tie when the shrill ring of his phone invaded the room. He glanced down at it and cocked his head to the side. "You've got to be kidding me," he said, incredulously.

"Yeah, Lieutenant," Brian answered briskly.

"You're needed back at the office, now."

"Are you serious? I just got home," Brian said, exasperated.

"Yes, there's been an incident. If you have a problem with that Cassidy, maybe you'd like to go back to working at the courthouse," Lt. Tucker growled through the phone.

Brian closed his eyes and shook his head. "No, it's fine. I'll be there in 20."

"That's what I thought." He heard the click of the call ending and the line was silent.

"Asshole," Brian muttered, glaring at the phone and then tossing it back on the bed. Brian sat down and laid back on the soft mattress, staring at the ceiling of the bedroom. He listened to the sound of the rain outside and heard a distant rumble of thunder. He felt the bed vibrate and saw light coming from his phone screen. He sat up and grabbed it. There was a text message from Olivia._ Interviewing a suspect, then home to grab a change of clothes. See you soon_.

_Perfect._ "Sorry Liv," he said remorsefully, tossing his phone aside. He'd have to call her when he got back to the office. He silently cursed Tucker and IAB for this intrusion. He hadn't seen her in over 24 hours. He decided he'd be paying the 16th a visit. He'd stay out of Amaro's line of sight if necessary.

He lifted himself off of the bed and re-adjusted his tie in the mirror. He picked the phone up off of the bed and walked into the living room, grabbing his coat off of the couch.

Brian shoved his phone in his coat pocket and gave the apartment a quick once over. He opened the door, turned the lock and closed the door behind him. He took a few steps forward and heard the creak of a door to his left. _Mrs. Stamford_. So much for good timing, he thought.

"Oh Brian..."

He continued sidestepping to the elevator with his head turned back to his neighbor. "Hey Mrs. Stamford, sorry I'm in a big hurry. Got called back in for a case," he interrupted, pushing the down arrow of the elevator rapidly. The elevator doors mercifully opened and he stepped inside and smacked the door close button. "You have a good night." The elevator doors jerked and began moving together. He gave one last friendly wave to Mrs. Stamford as the doors swallowed him inside.

"Oh, ok...you too," she called to him.

What a shame, Mrs. Stamford thought. His brother goes to all of that trouble to surprise him and then he has to run right back to work. At least Olivia will get to enjoy the evening with Will.

She smiled at the thought of the happy reunion the three of them must've had and of Olivia and Will in the apartment next to her laughing and catching up. Let those young people enjoy the night, she thought. I'm going to bed.

* * *

He heard the echo of the door closing and stepped out of his hiding place, a kitchen knife in hand.

"It must be your lucky day, Brian," he said out loud.

He walked to the apartment door, looking through the peephole to verify that Brian was gone and saw that the hallway was clear. He turned around and strolled into the kitchen, placing the knife back in the block. He walked through the dining room to the window in the living room. The storm was growing louder and more spectacular by the minute. It was his favorite kind of night. He made his way around the apartment, digging through drawers and opening cabinets. He fingered records, plaques and other items he found on the shelves along the wall. He stopped at the couch and took a seat, briefly lounging back in its comfort. He spotted a sweater lying across a chair in the corner and picked it up. He inhaled the scent. It smelled light, refreshing, sweet...it smelled like her. He inhaled the smell of her again and then put the sweater down. How much longer was he going to have to wait? He felt impatient, the anticipation was so strong. Based on Brian's mutterings, he thought it might not be long. He eyed the door beyond the kitchen and started moving toward the bedroom. He noticed a picture of her and Brian on the wall in the hallway. They were dressed up, leaning into each other, smiling. Her smile mocked him. It said he failed and she'd won. He frowned at it and was overcome by the urge to rip it off of the wall. Unnecessary, said a voice in his head. Leave no trace. Yeah, yeah, he thought to the voice. I got it. He passed by the picture into the bedroom thinking about nothing except wiping the smile off of that pretty face.

* * *

"Hey Nick," Amanda greeted him. "How's your Mom?"

Nick sat down at his desk, "The same. They tell me that's good news. The swelling in her brain hasn't increased much so that's something."

"That's good," Amanda said sincerely.

"Where's Liv," Nick asked, looking across his desk to his partner's empty chair.

"She went to check out one of the people from Maria's list," Fin informed him. "It's by her place so she was gonna swing by home and grab a change of clothes."

Nick's face fell slightly, disappointed and frustrated that he couldn't be out doing more to find his daughter. He gave a subtle incline of his head in acknowledgement of this information.

"Amanda, you ready," Fin asked.

"You guys headed out, too?"

Amanda glanced at Nick remorsefully. "Yeah, we're following up on someone." She wanted to leave out that the someone was a sex offender if possible. She didn't want to cause Nick any unnecessary anguish...he already had enough of that.

She pushed her chair away from her desk and stood.

She saw the door to the Captain's office open and watched Cragen leave his office and approach them looking somber. Nick followed her troubled gaze and pushed his chair back so he could see the Captain.

"Nick..." He paused, seemingly searching for the words to impart what was on his mind. They all tensed. This couldn't be good news. "The body of a young girl was found in Midtown. Now I'm not saying.."

"No," Nick groaned. He bent over, hands on his knees like someone had just punched him in the stomach. He took a few breaths and began shaking his head, "It's not her."

"I'm not saying it is. But the Medical Examiner's office needs someone to verify it's not."

"You telling me they can't figure that out by themselves," Fin sputtered. "Don't they have a picture? What about her clothes, did they match what Zara was wearing?"

The Captain held up his hand to stop Fin, he obviously didn't want to continue the conversation. "Fin, she was bludgeoned pretty badly and she wasn't wearing clothes."

Everyone went silent, all eyes turned to Nick...cautiously awaiting his reaction to this piece of information. It was a blow, no doubt. They were all picturing Cesaria Amaro and the way she'd been beaten.

"I'll go Captain, because it's not her. It can't be," Nick's voice trailed off in a whisper. He finally lifted his head and his eyes found the photo of Zara on his desk. He stared longingly at the picture as if the intensity of his gaze alone would ensure his statement's truth.

"Fin, Rollins...you go with him," the Captain ordered. They silently nodded their acceptance of this task.

"I don't need anyone to go with me," Nick said, stubbornly. "It's not Zara." He got up from his chair, slamming it back into the desk.

"Yes, you do. It's not up for discussion." The Captain turned on his heels and walked back to his office.

Fin and Amanda watched as Nick put on his coat with the kind of force that was unnecessary in such a simple chore. Fin went to Nick and put a hand on his shoulder.

"It's going to be ok man."

Nick turned his head to look at him. "Yeah, I know. I'm fine. You guys ready?"

Fin and Amanda nodded and exchanged a glance as Nick charged ahead toward the elevator.

"Think we should call Liv," Fin asked Amanda as they walked to the elevator.

"Yep," Amanda replied quickly. "He's going to need his partner either way."

* * *

Olivia parked the car in front of her apartment building and turned it off. She watched the rain fall onto the street, lightning crashing down in every direction around her. The wind whipped against the car and she could feel it rock with each gust. She paused a minute, readying herself to run and then flung her car door open, racing out into the rain. She jogged up to her apartment building and charged through the door, relieved to be out of the storm. She approached the elevators and pressed the up arrow, but nothing happened. She tried it again, then stepped back noticing that there were no lights anywhere indicating the elevators were running. The storm must've messed something up. _Great._

"I guess I'm taking the stairs."

She sighed, starting the trek up to the 7th floor. If she hadn't been working for over 24 hours straight, she wouldn't have minded. But she was exhausted. Truthfully, this stop at home was probably a bad idea. It was going to be very difficult to walk away from her bed. But Zara was still out there and she had Daniel Wells' alibi to check out. Though she was pretty sure that it was, in fact, going to check out. He didn't appear to be upset or bitter about the break up with Maria. He actually seemed very concerned when he heard about Zara's disappearance and vowed to call Maria and offer his support. She'd been doing this job for years and she could usually see through the subterfuge. She felt pretty confident that he wasn't responsible for Zara's disappearance.

She climbed the last flight of stairs to the 7th floor, opened the door and stepped out into the hallway. There was a loud rumble of thunder and the light above her flickered threateningly. Wouldn't that just be the icing on the cake, she thought. She took the last few steps to her apartment door and stuck her key in the lock, pushing the door open and stepping inside.

She started to reach for the light switch, but she was distracted by the sound of music coming from nearby. She tilted her head in confusion and took a step forward so the living room was visible. The room was bathed in a soft glow coming from a lit candle on the end table. The music she heard was coming from the radio on a shelf against the wall. It was playing a hauntingly beautiful song that she couldn't remember the name of, but it was soft, acoustic and tinkled with the elegant sound of piano. She smiled. Brian was getting all romantic on her. She didn't exactly have time for that right now and she didn't think she could focus on anything except Zara anyway, but it was sweet of him. She threw her coat over the arm of the couch.

"Bri," she called towards the bedroom.

Lightning flashed in the window and the living room was unnaturally bright for a moment. A few seconds later there was a loud crash of thunder and she felt the floor trembling beneath her.

She stared through the window, out into the night where the storm raged on. She could hear the rain fall, clinking steadily against the windows. She went to the radio and turned it off.

"This is so sweet and I wish I had more time, but I've got to get back to the precinct." The sound of the floor creaking emanated from the bedroom. "Bri?"

A shadow appeared in the bedroom doorway and she felt a smile begin to pull at her lips. But something about dark form in front of her set off an alarm inside her head. She had been living with Brian for months. She knew him. She knew his voice, his mannerisms, the way he moved. She was staring into a black abyss with only the hint of a shape visible yet she knew without a doubt that the figure did not belong to Brian. She reached down to her gun and unholstered it, holding it at her side.

"I think you should stay," the shadow whispered to her. Olivia gasped in recognition and brought her gun up level, pointing it at the figure that was still leaning against the door frame. It wasn't Brian's voice, but it was a voice she knew. One she feared, if she was being honest. It was a voice that still haunted her in nightmares and on her worst days, taunted her during the waking hours. A burst of adrenaline surged through her veins, sending her heart into a hammering frenzy in her chest. Her breathing was shaky, much like her gun hand and she closed her eyes briefly and took a breath, attempting to regain her composure.

Another streak of lightning lit the night sky and the interior of her apartment, pulling back the curtain of blackness and revealing the source of the ominous voice. Cold, dark eyes met warm, brown ones for the briefest of moments and then the room was dark again but for the light of the candle.

"You miss me sweetheart?"

He stepped out of the doorway, into the soft glow of light where she could see him. Olivia unconsciously took a step back, maintaining her distance.

He stopped when he stood in line with the kitchen, hands by his sides, unbridled glee radiating from his visage. She scanned him for a weapon, but he appeared to be unarmed. It didn't matter. He was perfectly dangerous without one.

"Don't move Lewis," she said with as much confidence and strength as she could muster, "or I will shoot you."

"I'm not armed, Detective," he told her, holding his hands up in surrender.

"I don't care and it's Sergeant," she said defiantly. She refused to cower before him. She wouldn't let him see the unease she felt. This time she was in control.

"Really? Sergeant Benson." He said it with distaste, shaking his head, indicating that it wouldn't do. "It just doesn't have the same ring to it." He paused. "But you and I, we've gotten pretty close. I think we're on a first name basis, don't you...Olivia?"

She shuddered in revulsion at her name on his lips.

"Shut up," she commanded, inching to the side where her phone lay in her coat pocket, eyes never wavering from her target.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," he said watching her pull the phone from her coat.

Olivia glanced quickly down to the phone, finding Nick's number. "I said shut up," she retorted, vehemently.

"Ok...but you make that call and your partner will never see his daughter again."

She stopped and stared at him. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What did you say?"

"Oh, now you want me to talk? Yeah, you heard me sweetheart. You make that phone call and Zara's as good as dead," he told her, coldly.

She gaped at him, eyes wide, head shaking, refusing to believe the words that had come from his mouth. It had to be a trick. If he'd heard about Zara she had no doubt he was smart enough to use it to his advantage.

"No, you're lying. You don't know where she is. You're on the wrong side of the gun this time, it's over and you're trying to use her disappearance to keep yourself out of prison."

He rolled his eyes at her. "Oh it's not over, Olivia, give me a little credit. Do you honestly think that I would've come to your apartment, unarmed, and just walked out here if I didn't have leverage," he grinned wickedly. "I can see you're still struggling with this so I'll prove it to you. How about what she's wearing? You cops like that kind of detail," he said matter of factly. "She has on jeans, a short sleeve yellow t-shirt with a little flower on it and a yellow head band in her hair."

"That information is part of the AMBER alert. You could've heard it on the tv or radio," Olivia reasoned, skeptically.

"Ok, looking for a little more. I can do that. Does the AMBER alert also say that I bashed her grandmother's head in with a baseball bat?" His eyes locked on hers, triumphantly daring her to call him a liar again.

Olivia's breath hitched in her throat as the horrifying reality crashed down on her. She recalled the scene she'd encountered when she'd arrived at Nick's house. Cesaria Amaro's lifeless body, surrounded by a large, crimson pool of blood. The blood-stained baseball bat lying feet from where she lay. Those details hadn't been released. There was no doubt in her mind now that he was telling the truth. She felt a fresh wave of panic wash over her body. This was a nightmare. Zara with William Lewis was perhaps worse than any of the scenarios she'd previously allowed herself to imagine. He was the worst kind of animal. She thought back to the beach house and the gleam in Lewis' eye as he spoke of Luisa Nunez. There were no lines he wouldn't cross and that conclusion induced more terror within her than the fear she felt standing just feet away from the monster himself.

"She's just a little girl," Olivia said bitterly.

"She's a cute one. And smart, too. We had a nice little chat...she actually helped me find your apartment," he said, twisting the knife.

Olivia remained stoic, refusing to react. It wouldn't do her or Zara any good. She tried not to think of how long Lewis had been with Zara or what he could've done. She had to focus on finding out where she was and if she was ok.

"Where is she?"

He shook his head. "Oh no, sweetheart. It doesn't work like that."

She put her other hand to the gun and re-asserted her aim, ready to shoot. "Yes it does. You tell me where she is or I'll put a bullet in your head."

"Go ahead. But then you'll never find Zara. And if you do find her, it'll be weeks or months from now," he told her, staring out the window indifferently.

"Then I won't shoot to kill," she said moving her aim lower, "you'll tell me where she is eventually."

"You gonna lie about that, too," He asked pointing to the scar on his face. He started moving toward her and shook his head. "I'll take it to the grave. I can handle whatever you've got, baby."

Her face fell as the futility of the situation began to set in. She had unknowingly been playing a chess match and she was pretty sure she was in checkmate.

"Face it Olivia, without me, Zara will die of dehydration in a matter of days. How long do you think she has...3 days, 4, a week? And she was already pretty sick when I left her. Must've been the pills I gave her," he shrugged. "Whether you like it or not, we're playing by my rules now."

He was inches from her, walking slowly and deliberately in the path of her gun.

"Stay back," she demanded, her voice betraying the increasing helplessness she felt.

He stopped briefly and leered at her. "Or you'll do what? I think we've already established you can't call your squad and you can't shoot me. What are you going to do," he taunted her, moving the last few steps so his chest was pressed against the barrel of her gun. He looked down at her weapon and then back at her, smirking viciously. "You leave that there if it makes you feel better, though."

"What do you want," she whispered, keeping her gun leveled into his chest, unable to surrender this last line of defense though she knew it was no longer a viable one.

Lewis gave her an appraising once over. He reached a hand out to touch her face, but Olivia moved away from the contact, her beautiful features twisted in disgust. He sneered at the rejection and then cocked his head to the side. "What do you think I want?"

* * *

The next chapter will probably be pretty Olivia/Lewis heavy. Planning to pick up where I left off and we'll see where it goes from there.


	6. Chapter 6

Have I mentioned that I adore all the people writing reviews? Because I do. You all inspire me to keep writing. I had a decision to make with this chapter. It was either post it now or post it tomorrow since I have to work the rest of the day today. I opted for now. I would've liked a bit more time with it, but I think it's mostly ok. I also went ahead and changed this to an M just to be safe for future chapters. This is long. And I'd planned for there to be more, but I put some stuff off until next chapter because it could've taken me a few more days if I included everything I had originally envisioned. This picks up literally right where Chapter 5 left off. I hope you enjoy!

* * *

His words rang in her ears. She knew what he wanted. Of course she did. It seemed foolish now to have ever thought he might have used his escape from prison and subsequent freedom to do anything but come for her.

"You want me, I'm right here," she said, pulling the gun away from his chest, letting it fall to her side. "You've got what you want. Just leave Zara out of it. This is between you and me." Her voice and her eyes beseeched him, but she knew it was a futile effort.

"It's a little too late for that, don't you think?"

He stepped forward, so he was inches from her and he eyed the glock in her hand. "Maybe I better take that. We wouldn't want any accidents...for Zara's sake." He winked at her, then reached down and put his hand over the top of the gun. He began slowly prying her fingers from it with his other hand. She fought against his force instinctively, but intellectually she knew, in the end, she couldn't stop him. She would have to be willing to use her weapon and she wasn't as long as he had Zara. More importantly, he knew she wasn't. He tore the gun from her hand and tucked it into the waistband of his jeans. He pulled the black t-shirt he was wearing over the glock so it was no longer visible.

"There," he said happily, circling behind her as a predator circled its prey, "just like old times."

Though it had been a feeble defense, the gun had offered her some semblance of comfort. But now it was his and the final barrier that separated them was gone. She stood, eyes forward, all too aware of his proximity behind her. She could feel the warmth of his breath against the back of her neck and she squeezed her eyes shut when she felt a finger on her back, tracing the outline of her bra underneath the forest green shirt she was wearing.

The vibration of the phone laying across her coat caught his attention and she exhaled in relief at the interruption. Lewis stepped over to the couch where it lay, glanced at her and then back to the phone. She eyed him uncertainly as he picked it up.

"Let's see what Amanda has to say," he mocked with fake enthusiasm.

He opened the message and read it aloud, "Body of a young girl resembling Zara found. At the Medical Examiner's office with Nick verifying it's not her. Thought you'd want to know."

"Ohhhh this is just too good," he laughed, as he threw the phone down on the couch. "That squad of yours, always chasing their tails."

Olivia barely registered his derision. The word body echoed in her mind. She didn't want to consider that possibility. Was he capable of killing a child? She scoffed internally at her moment of naiveté. Of course he was. He had no feelings beyond a desire to hurt people. There was no guarantee that Zara was alive. She picked up the phone, reading the message for herself.

"Did you kill her," she demanded bitterly. She wasn't sure why she was bothering. Lying was, without question, part of his repertoire. Even so, she couldn't help herself.

"That wouldn't be very smart, would it," he questioned, rhetorically. "Why would I kill the best weapon I have? It's not Zara. She's alive...for now." He turned away from her and walked to the window.

Olivia let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. She didn't know why she believed that, but she did. Maybe because she wanted so badly for it to be true. But also because it didn't make sense for Lewis to kill Zara. Zara was the bait...for her. He knew she would do anything to save Zara. Why would he kill her, dispose of her body and risk her being found before he got what he wanted. He wouldn't. She felt some relief at this reasoning. But not much. The fact remained that Lewis was holding all the cards and if she wanted to have a chance of saving Zara, she was going to have to go along with him, as a willing hostage this time. The thought of it reminded her of the moment she'd contemplated death for the first time when she was 9 years old. The terror and the darkness that was creeping into her mind threatened to suffocate her. It might very well have if not for the little girl depending on her. She had to keep her head.

How long would it take for the squad or Brian to figure out she was gone? It wouldn't be 2 days. But it would probably be hours, he'd have a decent head start. The squad would text and call when she didn't show up at the precinct and eventually come to check on her. Would they put Zara's disappearance and hers together? She thought they would. Detectives don't believe in coincidence. And Lewis might even be their number one suspect. She looked down at the phone in her hand and then to Lewis who was at the window watching the storm. There was a way she could be sure they knew exactly who they were dealing with and if she was lucky, maybe Lewis would let something slip. She went to the voice memo option on her phone, hit the record button and then went back to the main screen. This at least would give them something. She glanced at Lewis who had finally lost interest in the storm and was moving back toward her. She placed the phone down on the couch, free of her coat and anything else that might cover it.

"Zara's alive?" She said it with the hint of a question, looking to him for verification.

"That's what I said."

"So what happens now?," she asked.

"I take you to her," he said, pulling a set of car keys from his pocket and jingling them in front of her.

"And then what," she probed further, casually walking away from him and coming to rest behind the couch.

"Then you and I pick up where we left off," he told her, intimidation saturating his voice. "You remember where that was, don't you?"

He stared at her lasciviously. She knew exactly what he was thinking, and, though the thought shook her to the core, she was determined she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing her unnerved.

"I do. I was beating you with a bed post," she said with a straight face. It probably wasn't the smartest thing she could've said, but the lack of restraints and the illusion of freedom allowed for some bravado. Yes he held all the cards, but he wanted her alive for now.

He seemed to be amused by her audacity. "That's funny," he said pointing at her. "But where I'm taking you, there are no bedposts. Just concrete and chains." He stopped in front of her, the couch separating them, and fixed her with a pointed stare. "You won't escape this time, he made sure of that."

"Who," she asked, eyeing her phone.

"No one you know," he told her indifferently.

The small bit of hope she had that he was about to let something slip was dashed. She watched him anxiously as he crossed the room, past where her phone lay and prayed that he didn't notice that it was recording their conversation.

"What about Zara," she asked, attempting to keep him distracted. "What's going to happen to her?"

"Nothing," he assured her. "She'll be fine."

"So you'll let her go," Olivia asked skeptically, regarding him warily as he approached her.

"Sure," he agreed, smirking. "If Zara wants to go."

Liar, she thought. Something about the way he answered told her it wasn't going to be that easy. But it didn't matter, she'd have to cross that bridge when she got to it.

Lewis took a step forward and put an arm on one side of her. "What's with the 20 questions, sweetheart," he asked, having effectively trapped her between himself and the back of the couch. "You're not stalling are you? I thought you'd want to get to Zara."

"I do. You're the one playing games," she challenged.

"Oh I'm not playing," he said, his voice thick with longing. He leered at the bit of cleavage exposed just above the line of her shirt. He eyed her purposefully as he reached out and fingered the material, then moved his hand down to touch the bare skin exposed there.

"Don't." She reacted automatically, pushing his hand away.

He inclined his head, studying her. She watched him anxiously, the features on his face which had been mocking and gleeful were now cold and hard. She waited for the inevitable threat that she knew must be on his tongue, but he remained silent. She barely registered the hand that came up from his side and swung toward her, the back of it smacking loudly against the right side of her face, the impact snapping her head to the side. She bent over trying to recover her balance, pain radiating over the area where he'd struck the blow. She put a hand to her cheek and straightened up, chancing a glance at him. He was glaring at her and she glared back. He stepped into her and he was so close that their bodies were inches apart. He put his hand on the back of her head and pulled her flush against him.

"My rules," he whispered harshly. "You don't get to say no." He grabbed her hair and yanked her head back for emphasis, "Remember?"

How could she forget? She managed a few brief, jerky nods with his grasp on her hair.

"I'm sorry, I didn't hear you," he growled.

She winced as he tugged on her hair again. She didn't want to give him this, but refusing would be foolish. She knew how this went. He had something to prove so he'd beat her into submission if necessary. And she'd just be weaker for her refusal. She needed to be strong when she got to Zara, when it might matter.

She took a deep breath. "Yes," she said through gritted teeth.

"Good," he said, relaxing his grip on her hair. Then he used the hand on the back of her head to pull her to him and pressed his lips against hers with bruising force. There was nothing sexual about his action...it was all power and control. He was making a statement.

A small whimper escaped her throat and she balled her hands up in fists at her sides, eager to push him away, but knowing that would only ensure further torment.

He finally released her and she backed into the couch, desperately creating space where there had been none. Her chest heaved and she wiped a hand across her lips attempting to erase the feel and taste of him from them.

They considered each other momentarily, then Lewis broke the silence. "Time to go."

* * *

"What's taking so long," Nick asked impatiently. "They called us."

He was sitting with his hands on his knees, Fin and Amanda on either side of him, in the lobby area of the Medical Examiner's office.

"I'm sure they'll be ready soon," Amanda said, watching Nick's legs bounce with anxious energy.

Nick shook his head skeptically and closed his eyes, attempting to relax. This lasted for only a few minutes.

"This is ridiculous," Nick exclaimed. He sprung out of his chair and began pacing in front of them, hands shoved in his pockets, head down. He counted the square brown tiles that lined the floor as he walked to occupy his mind. Every once in a while he would stop, eye the desk attendant typing at a her perch in the middle of the room, and then resume pacing. Intermittently, he sat back down, put his head in his hands and mumbled to himself.

Finally Amanda had seen enough. She got out of her chair and walked to the desk in the middle of the room.

"Hi...," Amanda said reading the name on her badge, "Amy. I know you said the ME wasn't ready for us yet, but can you tell me what's going on? We were asked to come over here as soon as possible."

Amy chomped on her gum and looked at Amanda disinterestedly. "Sorry, can't."

"Ok," Amanda said, her friendly demeanor still intact, "why not?"

"Policy," Amy said simply.

Amanda sighed. "We're NYPD detectives."

Amy stopped what she was doing at her computer. "Doesn't matter, sorry."

Amanda turned and watched Nick pace in front of Fin, worry etched into his face. Her partner was also watching Nick, his concerned eyes straying briefly from him to meet Amanda's. Nick had to be losing his mind and who could blame him. Amanda huffed indignantly and turned back to Amy. Behind her, Fin smiled as watched her turn to the desk attendant knowing his partner was feeling protective and ready to lash out.

"Ok, listen Amy. Someone from your office called and asked one of ours to come identify a body. That man over there," she said pointing to Nick, "his daughter is missing and he needs some peace of mind. The least you could do is tell me when the ME..."

"Detectives."

Amanda looked to her left and found ME Warner in the room, looking like she'd just gotten in. Nick and Fin joined them beside Amy's desk when they heard the familiar voice.

Melinda beckoned them to follow her as she swiped her security card and let them through the door. They walked through a series of hallways, down a flight of stairs until she finally badged them into the morgue.

"I'm sorry detectives. I got called out unexpectedly. There was a cop involved shooting. It's a real mess. Tucker and Cassidy were all over it...you know how it is with IAB."

They all nodded their heads in understanding. Unfortunately, they did.

"Anyway," she continued, opening one of the many drawers that were built into the morgue wall, "I hate to have to call you all here for this." She turned to speak directly to Nick. "It goes without saying, but I pray it's not her."

Nick gave a brief nod in acknowledgement, his eyes downcast.

"Are you ready," she asked him.

How could he have ever thought that he would be ready for this? He'd been so eager to get here, to get proof that it wasn't Zara. Now here he was, but he was so scared it was her under that sheet that he didn't want Melinda to lift it. He wanted to bury his head in the sand, to live in blissful ignorance forever believing she would come home any day if the alternative was knowing she'd never come home.

"No, I'm not," he admitted. "But, I need this over with."

Melinda nodded and reached for the sheet covering the small body on the slab. Nick felt Fin and Amanda step closer to him. He was glad for their presence now.

Melinda drew back the sheet and everyone cringed at the sight of the young victim so badly beaten beyond recognition. Nick stepped closer to the body, seemingly studying the left elbow of the victim. After a minute, he looked at Melinda and let out a relieved breath, "It's not her."

"You're sure?"

Nick nodded his head vigorously, his eyes wet with unshed tears, emotion apparent in his voice when he spoke. "About a year and a half ago, I bought Zara a real bike and started teaching her to ride. She got really good," he told them, smiling at the memory. "She wanted to go to the park, so we did and we raced the last bit there, her on her bike and me jogging. She hit a bad spot in the sidewalk and the next thing I knew she was on the ground...she was all cut up, especially her elbow. I took her to the hospital and she had to have 5 stitches. Maria never let me hear the end of it because I didn't make her wear elbow and knee pads. She has a scar on her elbow to this day." He pointed to the left elbow of the victim's body. "I could be pretty sure that's not her based on the hair and the hands, but I'm certain because of her elbow. There's no scar there. That's not Zara."

"Thank God," Amanda exhaled, a small smile tugging at her lips.

Nick felt a hand squeeze his shoulder, offering silent support and he turned and nodded his appreciation to Fin.

Melinda put the sheet back over the body, pushed the drawer back inside and closed the door. She turned to Nick. "I was hoping you'd say that," she said. "I hope you find her soon, and if there's anything I can do, don't hesitate to ask."

"Thanks Melinda," Nick whispered, the relief still evident in his voice. He turned away from the ME and walked to the door, Fin and Amanda following closely behind.

It was easy to feel like he'd won the lottery after moments ago considering the possibility that his daughter might be dead. The truth was, the situation was as dire as it had been before they'd gotten the call from the ME's office and that reality was setting in again.

Fin and Amanda seemed to sense this as well. When they were outside of the morgue, he turned to them and started to speak, but was interrupted by Amanda, "Back to work."

He glanced between them, trying to convey how grateful he was to them for everything since his voice was failing him. He cleared his throat and nodded. "Back to work."

* * *

They had been driving for exactly 1 hour and 51 minutes. Specifically, she had been driving for that long, gazing out into the blackness of the night, watching remnants of lightning flash across the sky. He was obviously feeling pretty confident that she wouldn't do anything to jeopardize Zara because he had decided she was driving when they left her apartment seeing as she had a valid drivers license and because her badge would be able to get them through a roadblock or traffic stop if the situation were to arise. Lewis sat in the passenger seat beside her, holding a mostly one-sided conversation with her or himself...she wasn't really sure. She almost wished he'd thrown her in the trunk or the back seat like last time. The availability of his hands and the unavailability of hers presented him with ample opportunity to let his hands roam. And he did, because he knew what it did to her.

"That looks like it hurts," Lewis stated dispassionately, tracing the bruise that she assumed was forming across her cheek where he'd hit her.

She didn't acknowledge his remark and instead sat rigid and attentive to the road as he continued running his fingertips along her cheekbone none to gently.

"How did you get in my apartment," she asked finally, wanting to sidetrack him from his current task.

He held up a key and she turned briefly to stare at it, before returning her eyes to the road.

"That old lady in the apartment next to yours...she caught me trying to break in. I made up a story...told her I was Brian's brother recently home from Afghanistan and I had this big surprise planned for my brother and his girlfriend, but I forgot the key to their apartment," he recounted with pride at his cleverness. "And wouldn't you know, she had a key from the previous owner? It's like it was meant to be." He took the key to her apartment and put it on her thigh, holding it there and examining it looking pleased. He grinned and then added, "I think it was the Afghanistan thing and the scar that convinced her to help me. This," he said pointing to the scar, "might just come in handy. I guess I have you to thank for that."

Lewis leaned forward in his seat.

"Pull over here," he commanded, pointing to a tiny gas station ahead on the right, that appeared to have seen better days.

She turned into the parking lot and followed Lewis' unspoken instructions as he gestured where he wanted her to go. She pulled up to the building and put the car in park.

"I'm going inside for a minute. You be a good girl," he said, squeezing her leg painfully. "Or when we get to Zara, everything I plan to do to you, I'll do to her instead. And I'll make you watch."

She kept her eyes straight ahead, giving no indication that he was hurting her. She nodded briefly and he let go of her leg. "Good," he said, patting her thigh and then exiting the car.

She watched him until he disappeared inside the gas station and then she turned in all directions, looking for something that could help her. People were out of the question. Not that there were any at this time of night. But if there had been, she still couldn't have signaled to them for help. If someone came to her aid, she'd never find Zara and if Lewis caught someone trying to help her, he'd just kill them anyway. Either way, no one else was going to get hurt in his vendetta against her. There'd been too many already.

What she needed was a trail. She didn't know how much further they had to go, but if she could get the squad to this place, they would have a start. But how? She searched the consoles in the front seat for something to write on or something she could drop, but her search turned up nothing. She peered inside the gas station, but she couldn't distinguish Lewis so she continued searching. She eyed her badge sitting in the cup holder and was tempted to open the door and shove it underneath the car. Surely someone would pick it up and when they saw it was an NYPD badge, they'd probably try to track down the cop it belonged to...alerting her squad. But he'd notice it was gone and she wouldn't put Zara in that kind of danger. She reached into one of her coat pockets and felt around. Her hand brushed against a piece of paper and she pulled it out. It was Daniel Wells' address. That wasn't going to help her. Even if she managed to write on it, no one would ever find it with the wind still blowing so furiously. She shoved the piece of paper back in her pocket and then tried the other side. She felt the cold of metal against her fingertips. Keys. She'd put the keys to the unmarked squad car in her pocket. Those were useful because NYPD car keys were tagged with a small laminated label denoting the NYPD address and the vehicle's identification number. If someone found those and attempted to return them, the keys could be traced back to the vehicle she was driving, back to her, back to this location. She took the keys from her pocket and examined them. Yes, they were tagged. She looked through the window of the gas station and saw Lewis at the register, talking to the attendant. It was now or never. She opened the driver side door while appearing upright as if nothing was happening. Once it was cracked she took the keys in her left hand and reached down into the space between the door and the car, doing her best to toss them under the vehicle. She didn't know where exactly they ended up, she wasn't going to look. She checked on Lewis again and he appeared to have finished his business. He turned from the attendant and walked toward the door. She grabbed hold of the driver side door and shut it as quickly and quietly as she could. Lewis returned to the car, climbed in the passenger side and shut his door.

He turned to look at her, "I know what you're doing."

She had a brief moment of panic. What if he saw her drop the keys or heard the car door closing? She swallowed hard and tried to steady her voice. "I'm not doing anything."

He motioned for her to start the car and begin driving again. "I see you eyeing the bag. You're wondering what kind of goodies I got for us this time."

She wasn't, she didn't care. She turned back on the road and felt a sense of relief wash over her. He didn't know what she'd done. And more importantly, her plan had a chance of succeeding.

"I'll show you one thing," he allowed, holding up a finger. He pulled something out of a brown paper bag and held it up for her. She didn't need to turn and look at what he was holding, it was evident in her periphery. The small rectangular shape gave it away. Cigarettes.

Her stomach dropped. She took one of her hands off of the steering wheel and scratched absently at her arm where the faintest of scars were hidden beneath the coat she wore. Her mind frantically scanned through a slide show of horrors that involved heat, pain and the kind of smell you never forget...your own skin burning. Nausea rolled over her in waves and she felt sweat forming at her brow.

Lewis took the cigarettes out of the plastic they were packaged in, and opened the pack. He pulled a lighter from his pocket and then took out a cigarette. Olivia watched closely out of the corner of her eye, aware of every agonizing move he was making. Lewis lit the cigarette and took a drag. He blew the smoke into her face and she turned away from it, but couldn't completely escape the grey cloud. She coughed while waving the smoke from her face. Lewis laughed cruelly. "I've heard second-hand smoke kills," he smirked, his eyes shining with evil intention. "The good news is, I don't think you have to worry about it."

Lewis took another hit from his cigarette and then held it out in front of him, slowly inching toward the exposed skin of the arm that grasped the steering wheel. He held it millimeters from her wrist and she could feel the heat it emitted against her skin. She braced herself for the burn...for pain, but it never came.

"Maybe not while you're driving," he said, still holding the cigarette threateningly over her skin. "I'd hate for us to crash before we got to have our fun. We'll save this for later."

The heat on her wrist disappeared and she watched him put the cigarette back to his lips. He took another draw and looked at her, nodding his head in confirmation. "Later."

* * *

Nick sat at his desk, staring unfocused at the pink and purple dreamcatcher that Zara had made for him, now hanging up on his board. She was still out there. That thought both comforted him and haunted him.

He glanced at Fin and Amanda, both sitting at their desks. It had been too late to go do their interview so they'd stayed at the precinct to continue the search. They were all exhausted...Fin had his head down on his desk and Amanda was fighting heavy eyes as she worked at her computer. He gazed across his desk at the empty chair. He was surprised Olivia wasn't back yet. Amanda had texted her when they'd left the ME's office to let her know that the body wasn't Zara's and they were returning to the precinct to continue working. She never responded as far as he knew. He assumed she must be spending some time with Cassidy while she was at home. It didn't seem like something Liv would do, she typically lived and breathed a case, but maybe they were having issues...maybe they were fighting and she got caught up in the moment. His mind did a double-take. Wait a minute, he thought. He fought to make his sleep deprived brain recall the context he'd heard Cassidy's name in earlier that night. Melinda. She said Tucker and Cassidy were at the crime scene she had worked before she met with them. Cassidy couldn't be home with Liv. Then why isn't she here, he wondered. He pulled out his phone and called her. It rang over and over until it went to her voice mail. He hung up the phone feeling uneasy.

He got up from his desk and ran a hand over his face. He felt like pieces of a puzzle were spinning in circles inside of his brain, so close to lining up and connecting.

"Nick, what's wrong," Amanda asked sounding concerned. Fin lifted his head from his desk and stared as him as well.

"Liv isn't back yet and she's not answering her phone," he told them, still unable to adequately voice what was forming in his brain.

"Nick, she's probably just spending a little time with Cassidy," Amanda assured him.

"No," Nick interjected, a little too loudly. "Don't you remember, Melinda told us Tucker and Cassidy were at the crime scene she went to."

"She probably fell asleep at home," Fin grumbled. "We're all running on fumes here."

"She's not answering her phone," Nick repeated, emphasizing every word. He saw Amanda pick up her phone and begin dialing. He turned away from them, trying to clear his mind so he could make some sense of the jumble in his head. He looked at the whiteboard in front of him and saw Zara's picture from the zoo taped to it. Next to it were three names, but his eyes only saw one...Lewis. He glanced back and forth between the picture and the name. The zoo and Lewis. All of the puzzle pieces in his mind stopped spinning and lined up.

"Yeah, I called, she's not..."

"Lewis," Nick interrupted.

"Lewis," Amanda questioned, getting up out of her chair and walking to him, Fin following behind her.

"She saw him when we were at the zoo, but she thought it was in her head," he mumbled under his breath.

"Ok, Nick, stop for a second. Talk to us," Amanda implored him, gesturing back to Fin.

"Olivia, she saw Lewis when we were at the zoo, but she thought it was in her head," he told them hesitantly, feeling like he was violating his partner's trust.

Fin and Amanda didn't react to this piece of information, but continued to stare at him expectantly for further explanation.

"What if it wasn't? The next day, Zara's taken and my mother's in the hospital." Why hadn't he put this together before? He'd looked at that board a hundred times in the past 24 hours. But he knew why, it wasn't the Lewis they knew. He was direct and reckless. What he was proposing suggested an evolution. That a smarter, more cunning man came out of prison.

"We considered him, but Nick why would Lewis go after Zara - it's not his MO," Amanda asked skeptically, echoing his internal monologue.

"No, It's not. But if it's him it has nothing to do with Zara. It's about getting to Liv," he said desperately. "And she's not answering her phone."

They gaped at him, their minds fighting to process this information while he had already accepted it.

He didn't say another word. He turned from them and began jogging out of the squad room, into the elevator. He heard quick footsteps behind him and Amanda and Fin joined him. They looked around at each other nervously, a sense of déjà vu in the air.

"This can't be happening again, right," Amanda said finally, her voice disbelieving.

Fin shook his head uncertainly while Nick watched the countdown of the floors, feeling like it was a countdown to something much more sinister. He closed his eyes and said a silent prayer. _Please let me be wrong. Please don't let it be William Lewis._

* * *

That's it. Next chapter we'll finally see Zara again for those that have been worried about her. Until next time!


	7. Chapter 7

Ok here we go. I apologize for the wait, this did take longer than I wanted it to. With that said, I'm going to hop on my soapbox here for a minute, so bear with me. I do the best I can as far as updates go. I work a full time job that regularly requires I travel, work a crazy schedule, weekends, etc.. I play indoor soccer, I'm training for an Ironman and I'm also trying to maintain some semblance of a social life while writing this. I'm kinda busy. And sometimes the story just doesn't flow the way I want it to and I have to spend more time on it. Things happen. I know for the most part everyone gets this, but I read one comment last night that kinda got my hackles up, so to speak, and I had to put that out there. *steps off of soapbox* I like to think of this chapter as prorated. Yes, it took a bit longer than I'd like, but it's also over 1,500 words longer than any of the chapters I've previously written so I think it kinda works out in the end. Um...let's see, what else? Lewis is evil, but he was that way before I got ahold of him so it's not my fault. As always thanks to everyone reviewing, I'm posting this in a huge hurry on the way to a soccer game so hopefully everything is ok with it and hope you enjoy this chapter.

* * *

"IAB says Cassidy is still there conducting an interview with Tucker," Amanda confirmed, as she shoved her phone in her pocket and got out of the car. "Thought it'd be best if I left it there for now. No sense in getting him worried about something we're not sure has happened."

"The car is here," Fin indicated, pointing to the unmarked squad car parked along the street.

Nick eyed it uneasily. He wasn't sure if that made him feel better or worse. He decided on neither. But it did tell them something. Because if the car was here, Olivia should be here. And if she wasn't? Well, that was all he'd been able to think about on the drive there.

They entered the apartment building and went straight for the elevators. Nick smacked the up arrow with the tips of his fingers and shifted impatiently, waiting for it to arrive.

Fin and Amanda were similarly edgy, scanning the lobby while they waited, Fin stopping to point out the security cameras. This only made Nick more anxious, though, and a few seconds later he let out an irritated huff and began walking away. "Forget this, I'm taking the stairs."

Fin and Amanda chased after him as he strode to the stairwell. The three of them jogged up the seven flights of stairs, weary from lack of sleep, but driven forward by fear and adrenaline.

They reached the seventh floor and stepped out into the hallway, eyeing Olivia's apartment door from afar.

They walked purposefully to the end of the hallway, stopping to share a brief glance between them before Fin raised his hand and banged loudly on the apartment door.

"Liv," he called into the apartment. They waited, listening for the sound of movement, or the lock...anything.

Fin put his fist to the door again and knocked louder and more insistently. "Liv!"

But still no answer.

Nick tapped Fin's shoulder and pushed in front of him, drawing his gun. Fin and Amanda drew their weapons and stood behind him.

Nick counted down from three with his fingers and then crashed through the door, gun held out in front of him, Fin and Amanda behind him.

They moved quickly through the apartment, calling out for Olivia, searching room to room for any sign of her.

"She's not here," Nick said, giving voice to the obvious.

"Maybe it's not Lewis," Amanda proposed, re-holstering her gun. "I mean look at this place, it's spotless. We all remember what her apartment looked like last time."

"If Lewis didn't take her, then where is she," Nick asked impatiently.

"There were security cameras at the elevators, we should check the footage," Fin suggested.

Nick and Amanda nodded their agreement and they began walking out of the apartment.

"You guys, look," Amanda said ominously, pointing to the couch.

She reached down and picked up a phone, holding it up for them to see.

"Liv's phone," Amanda verified, examining it. "She's got a couple of calls from Cassidy. And she never got my last text."

Amanda narrowed her eyes. "Wait a minute, there's some kind of timer running up here." She put her finger on the screen where the timer was counting and then looked up at them with wide, concerned eyes.

"It's a recording."

"How long has it been going," Fin asked.

She held it out so they could see the screen. "About three hours," she answered.

"It's recording for a reason," Nick said with trepidation. "We need to know what's on that."

"Hold on." Amanda stopped the recording, then glanced up at Nick and Fin. Nick nodded for her to continue, though he was terrified of what they would hear. "Ok, here we go." She stared at the phone hesitantly and then put her finger down on play.

There was a short period of silence and then they heard Olivia's voice.

_So Zara's alive?_

_That's what I said._

"Lewis." Amanda sank down onto the couch, phone in hand, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Shit," Fin cursed.

Nick moved closer to Amanda, head down, listening intently to Lewis and Olivia continue to exchange words.

It was a dichotomy of good and evil, black and white. Lewis, threatening and cruel. Olivia, strong and defiant. He attacked, she parried. Nick marveled at his partners courage in the face of Lewis' menace. She met him head on, unflinching, brave beyond all reason.

_What about Zara? What's going to happen to her?_ Nick stiffened at the mention of his daughter.

_Nothing. She'll be fine._

_So you'll let her go?_

_Sure. If Zara wants to go. _

Nick shook his head, defeated. He could hear the duplicity in Lewis' voice. He wasn't going to let Zara go. He was vaguely aware that Lewis and Olivia were talking again, but he didn't register what they were saying. He couldn't stop thinking about what was going to happen to his daughter. What would Lewis do with her once he had Olivia? He wouldn't need Zara anymore. The thought was horrifying.

A loud, unmistakable crack echoed through the phone, interrupting Nick's unvoiced concerns. His head snapped up in surprise. He glanced at the phone and then to Fin and Amanda who had their eyes closed, distress etched into their faces. He'd hit her. Nick's hands balled into fists at his sides.

_My rules._ Nick heard Lewis whisper, his voice as sharp as a razor. _You don't get to say no, remember?_

There was a pause, and then Lewis' voice again.

_I'm sorry, I didn't hear you._

_Yes._

_Good._

It was quiet once more until Olivia's muffled whimper invaded the silence. The strangled noise, her heaving breath seconds later...they didn't need a picture. It was clear what Lewis had done. Nick groaned, an anguished, almost inhuman sound. He interlocked his fingers behind his head and inclined at the waist, looking as if he would be sick. He felt Fin and Amanda's eyes on him and he met their troubled gazes, noting they appeared equally as ill as he felt.

"Son of a bitch," Fin muttered. His fist in hand, cracking his knuckles in frustration.

"Lord," Amanda exhaled at the same time as Fin, staring in disgust at the phone before putting her head in her free hand.

Nick was almost relieved when Lewis spoke again. _Time to go._ Almost.

The sound of a door closing rang through the phone and Amanda stopped the recording. They were quiet for a minute, processing everything they'd heard.

"Nick, they're going to be ok," Amanda said, trying to reassure him.

"You sure about that," he asked despondently, a far away look in his eyes, "because I'm not."

"Liv will take care of Zara," Fin stated somberly.

"Yeah, I know she will," he agreed, all too aware of the hidden 'but' in Fin's statement. He knew Olivia would do everything she could to help his daughter, even to her own detriment. She'd already proved that by going with Lewis. But Lewis knew that, too. Protecting Zara was going to put Olivia at a disadvantage that she couldn't afford. How could she protect herself if Lewis had Zara to threaten and hang over her head. He decided to vocalize what Fin hadn't. "But who's going to take care of her?"

Fin shook his head sadly. "She's tough, she'll hold on."

Nick recalled the image of Olivia as he'd first found her in the beach house...bloody, beaten, tortured. Torture. People used the word to describe the most meaningless things. A test was torture, a speech, a movie. It took the power away from the word, rendered it casual. But it was anything but casual. He'd seen what had been inflicited on Olivia up close. Burns, cuts, bruises marring every inch of her exposed skin. Holes and slashes in her shirt. Her instinctive flinch away from contact, expecting more pain. Lewis had done that to her...mercilessly, gleefully. For a second, he considered that Lewis might be torturing her now. He could see her in his mind, tied to a chair, an indistinguishable metal object burning yellow and orange hovering just above her skin, her face twisted in agony. He put a hand over his mouth, the imagery so real to him he thought he might scream for her. He closed his eyes and shook the image from his mind. There would be no sanity left within him if he allowed himself to go to those places.

"We'll find him," Fin promised.

Nick pictured his mom laying in a hospital bed, comatose, Olivia and a million horrors that awaited her, and he thought about Zara...ripped away from him, scared, alone. Lewis had hurt too many people, there was only one way for this to end. He glanced back and forth between Amanda and Fin and found a similar resolve in their eyes. "He's not walking away this time," Nick vowed. "He'll never make it back to a prison cell."

* * *

It had been two hours since their stop at the gas station. She knew they were finally getting close because Lewis was leaning forward in the passenger seat, searching the dark for something, though she wasn't sure what. She watched him scan the landscape from the corner of her eye, her hands grasping the steering wheel tightly, knuckles forming bloodless, distinct ridges, her fingers aching from the tension of her grip. Dread had steadily been building within her during the drive. It rocked within her like the ocean, ebbing a little and then crashing back into her more powerful and sustained than before. She could no longer separate herself from it. The emotion had consumed her fully, leaving no corner of her being untouched. She sat there, a living, breathing embodiment of it. She wondered if it even seeped from her pores, because she was sure he sensed it, relished it. And every so often he would turn to her, fixing her with cold eyes, his mouth turning up into a cruel smile, that mocking, inhuman smile that haunted her, and it took everything she had to keep her foot on the gas pedal, driving herself further toward torment and suffering. But the haze of fear that enveloped her was not completely opaque and she could still see through it to the reason she was doing this. Zara. It was that single, solitary thought that continued to fortify her resolve. So she kept driving, her face a stony, emotionless mask, but her insides a relentless tempest, churning uncontrollably.

"Almost there," Lewis told her excitedly.

A few seconds later he held up his hand, "Slow down."

She slowed the car to a crawl, searching for a house, a building, whatever godforsaken place he was taking her. But it was so dark, she couldn't make out anything except trees on both sides of the road. Even those were concealed in darkness so the outline against the sky was the only clear thing about them.

"Turn here," he commanded, pointing across her to the left.

"There's no where to turn," she argued.

"Just do it," he demanded, indicating where he wanted her to go.

She did, not entirely sure she wasn't about to drive them into a few trees, but then the SUV broke through leaves and she realized there was a long, narrow path visible in the headlights.

"Keep following the path. We have a little ways to go."

They crept farther into the forest. Olivia examining the surrounding shadow for some sign of life, but for the headlights, they were completely enveloped in black. She considered the possibility that there was nothing at the end of this. Maybe he planned to kill her and bury her body out here. What else could it be, she wondered. There's nothing out here. She felt a surge of panic at this. And the further they traveled in, the more resigned she became to this fate until Lewis' voice broke the silence.

"Home sweet home," he sang, gesturing to a structure in the distance. "Isn't it great?"

Olivia squinted into the dark, barely able to discern a small cabin against the trees. And, while it wasn't the immediate death she had convinced herself was coming, it felt a lot like it. No, she thought. This was definitely not great. He certainly hadn't lied about one thing, there was a good chance no one was going to find them here. The cabin was remote, well concealed...she doubted there were going to be any visitors at this place. How many people even knew it was there? Probably not many, she answered herself. No one to see, no one to hear...completely isolated. She wanted to put her head down on the steering wheel and cry for the hopelessness she felt at the situation. But what good would that do?

"What is this place," Olivia asked grudgingly, loath to converse with him, but desperately seeking awareness of her surroundings.

He glanced at her and then back to the small cabin in front of them. "It belongs to my former cell mate. Archer. He told me all about it while we were in prison and when I escaped, I just knew I had to come here."

Lewis turned to her and grinned. His excitement was palpable. "It's...well, you'll see when we get inside."

She put the car in park and shut it off. He pulled the gun out of his waistband and motioned to the driver side door. "Let's go."

She opened the car door, stepped outside of the vehicle and closed it. He approached her, gun in hand, silver metal handcuffs, her handcuffs, glinting in the other.

"Turn around," he ordered, waving his gun.

"You don't need to do that," Olivia assured him, holding her hands up in surrender.

"Oh, but I do," he told her, grasping her arm and spinning her so her back was to him. He put the gun against the base of her skull. "Don't move." She heard jingling and then he yanked her right arm back and she felt cold, hard metal encircle her wrist. He grabbed her left wrist and yanked it back as well, moving the gun away from her head so he could use his other hand to secure her left wrist and lock the cuffs tightly. "Something my cell mate taught me. Learn from your mistakes. And I did. I won't underestimate you again." He spun her back around so she was facing him, her wrists handcuffed behind her back.

She stared past him.

"Awww, don't be mad." He spoke to her as if she was a petulant child, grasping her chin in one hand, forcing her to meet his eyes. "When we get inside and get you all situated, you can have your hands back."

Olivia felt his grip on her chin loosen and she jerked her face away from him.

He watched her eyes flit around the area, taking in her surroundings. "If you're thinking about screaming...go ahead," he laughed. "No one's going to hear you."

She was sure that was true, but a cry for help wasn't far from her lips nonetheless.

"Walk," he ordered, pushing her toward the cabin, the gun in her back.

"You think you'll get away with this, but you won't," she told him, trudging forward, more confidence in the promise than she felt. "My squad will find us."

"You think so, huh," Lewis asked, amused. "That's a lot of trust in a squad that had four days to find you before, and couldn't." He stopped abruptly and grabbed her arm, turning her so she faced him. "See, I think you know they were never going to find you. And if you hadn't broken free from that bed, I would've done you until you begged me to kill you and when there was nothing left to take from you, then I would've killed you." He put the gun to her cheek. She closed her eyes at the feel of the cold metal against her face. "Look around you, Olivia," he taunted, turning her head with the gun. "If they couldn't find you in the city, they're not going to find you here."

"You're wrong," she said defiantly. "They will."

Lewis chuckled at this. "You keep telling yourself that, sweetheart." He grasped her arm and spun her again.

"Come on, Zara's waiting." He put his hand on her back and shoved her roughly.

Olivia stumbled forward, unable to stop her momentum, and she fell to the ground hard, her head and left shoulder colliding with the earth.

"Oops," she heard Lewis say from above her. "I guess I don't know my own strength." She rolled onto her side, glaring at him and she used her left arm to push herself up. She cried out in agony as a shooting pain ripped through her shoulder.

"Uh oh," Lewis sneered, sadistic glee twisting his features. "Looks like you've got a problem."

"I'm fine," she panted. She took a minute to catch her breath, considering shifting her position so she could use her other arm to push herself up. But that would only confirm her vulnerability and if it was that or pain, she'd take the pain. She put her left elbow down on the ground and pushed herself up to her knees, eyes squeezed shut, lips closed tight, an impentrable barrier turning away any further vocalizations of her discomfort.

"Want some help," Lewis asked in a low, dangerous voice, reaching for her injured left arm.

She pulled away and quickly pushed up from her knees to a standing position. "I'm fine," she repeated.

He reached his hand out to her and brushed his fingers along her forehead, pulling them away and holding them up for her to see. "You're bleeding," he told her, showing her his blood stained fingertips.

"Like you care," she muttered.

"Oh, I don't. But I like it when you bleed." Olivia recoiled in disgust.

"Move it," he commanded, prodding her with the gun. She walked the last few feet to the cabin and stopped at the door. Lewis reached into his jeans and pulled out a key. He placed it in the lock and turned, pushing the door open. He waved her in with the gun and she stepped into the dark room. Lewis followed behind her, closing the door. Olivia could hear his steps around the room, but was unable to discern exactly where he was. Then there was a small flash of light and she saw him holding a candle.

"Archer's a smart guy. He kept this place off the grid so no one really knows about it." He went to the other side of the room and lit another candle. "The only downside to that is no electricity...and the well water tastes awful," he added.

Olivia scanned the dimly lit room for Zara. It was small so it didn't take long. She noted a fireplace, a sofa, a small kitchen area, but she didn't see Zara.

"Where is she," Olivia demanded.

"You'll see," he promised. "First, we're going to need this." He held up a latern. It reminded her of camping.

"Found a couple of these at a house I visited not far from here. Battery operated. Kinda perfect."

Lewis went to the rug in front of the fireplace and pulled it up. Olivia observed in horror as a small square door in the floor was revealed. Lewis lifted the door. "She's down there," he told her, pointing to the black hole below.

Olivia wondered for the hundreth time that night if this was a trick. Maybe her gut was wrong on this one. Maybe this was just a clever ruse that she had fallen for and Zara wasn't there. Maybe she never was. But it was too late for reservations now. She'd made her decision back in the apartment and there was no turning back.

"Zara," she called down hopefully.

She listened for an answer, but there was no reply.

"She's not answering," she said, alarmed.

Lewis gave a disinterested shrug. "She must be asleep. Those pills I gave her really knocked her out."

Olivia frowned at this. She recalled him telling her that Zara was sick.

"I'm going to her," she told him.

That's the idea," he said, motioning for her to climb down the ladder.

"My hands," she inquired, a cross between a statement and a question.

Lewis shook his head. "Oh no, the cuffs stay on."

Olivia didn't bother arguing, she didn't want to waste time. She dropped to one knee, then another and leaned to her left so she was seated on the ground. She shifted her legs out from under herself, swinging them forward so they were hanging into the hole in the floor and then scooted the last few inches so she was in line with the ladder. She couldn't make out anything below her, and it was cold she realized as she felt cool air against her legs. The thought of Zara down there, alone, for hours, made her heart break.

It wasn't a very long way down, but it was awkward with her hands cuffed behind her back. The ladder was slightly inclined and she didn't want to descend facing it for fear of falling backwards, so instead she went down facing out, leaning back into the ladder to keep steady. When she made it to the bottom, she glanced up at Lewis and then began searching for Zara.

"Zara," she murmured into the darkness. "Zara, it's Olivia."

Olivia continued her exploration of the area until she ran into the wall.

She inhaled sharply when her elbow hit the solid boundary of the room, jostling her shoulder. She stopped so her back was to the wall, taking a minute to compose herself and then she followed the perimeter of the room. A few seconds later she tripped over something laying on the ground. It was maybe 6 inches high and felt relatively soft. A mattress, she thought as she probed it with her foot. She heard the sound of Lewis on the ladder and then bright yellow light illuminated the room. Olivia looked around and felt her stomach drop. She'd imagined the space as a basement or maybe a cellar. But those words suggested a purpose beyond concealment and restraint. And from what she could see, that was the sole purpose of this place. It was a dungeon. Concrete walls, concrete floor...clearly not designed for any kind of comfort. There was nothing remotely hospitable about it except a few candles she assumed were used for light. There was a toilet to her side and she noticed a length of chain not far away that was secured into the floor.

"Zara," she exhaled in relief, taking in the sight of the sleeping child on the mattress. Olivia knelt down by her, watching for the rise and fall of her chest. She was rewarded with movement and her mouth turned up into a slight smile. Olivia scanned the little girl's body for injuries or signs of mistreatment, but she appeared to be unharmed. She turned to face Lewis, who stood in the middle of the room where the ladder reached up to the main level of the house. He was examining the wood above for something, light in hand, and then he reached the light up above his head and hung it.

"Just take these off," Olivia insisted, turning to indicate the handcuffs. "Where am I going to go? I need to make sure she's ok."

"You don't tell me what to do," he growled, walking swiftly toward her.

She watched him bear down on her, the same furious look on his face as earlier when he'd backhanded her. She shuffled her feet back, trying to create more distance but he was on her in a second.

Lewis put a hand around her neck and backed her into the wall, squeezing her throat until she could no longer breathe. He held her like that for what was probably seconds, but felt like hours, his hand tight against her neck, watching her struggle to take in air.

"Stay," he ordered her, finally releasing his grip on her.

She bent over, coughing and gasping for air.

He reached down to the floor and picked up the chain she'd noted earlier. It wasn't the big, thick chain she was accustomed to seeing, but it looked strong enough. He pulled up her pant leg and wrapped it around her left ankle once, twice and then when he was satisfied it was tight, he put a padlock through the end of the chain and the length running to the floor so it was secure.

He stepped back and admired his handy work. "See? What did I tell you, concrete and chains."

Olivia couldn't resist pulling against her new restraint, testing the resolve of the chain she was attached to. It dug painfully into her ankle.

"You've got to give it to Archer," he said, grabbing her arm, pulling her to him. "This place is perfect. You can even use the bathroom on your own this time. Not that I minded helping you with that." He smiled smugly and then winked at her.

Olivia tried not to think about that particular humiliation and instead busied herself with examining the chain where it attached to the floor, searching for any weakness.

"I'm a man of my word. I said you'd get your hands back."

He unlocked the handcuffs on her wrists and she shook her arms out in relief. She went to where Zara was laid out on the mattress and kneeled down beside her, putting a gentle hand to her forehead.

"Zara," Olivia said softly, shaking her shoulder lightly. After a few rounds of this, Zara began to stir.

"There we go," Olivia said with relief.

Zara cracked her eyes. "Olivia," she asked sleepily.

"Yeah, I'm here. How do you feel sweetie?"

"Sick," she whimpered.

"Ok, Zara have you had anything to eat or drink today?"

Zara shook her head.

She turned back to Lewis. "She needs water...and food," she added, careful not to make it sound like an order.

"I might be able to do that," he told her, noncommittally. He turned away and climbed the ladder.

Zara sat up, watching Lewis leave, and then looked up at Olivia. "He's a bad guy." It was a statement more than it was a question. Olivia nodded her head in agreement.

"Did he hurt you?"

Zara shook her head in reply.

"Is my abuela dead," she asked, her eyes on the ground.

"No," Olivia assured her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "She's in the hospital and the doctors are doing everything they can for her."

Zara raised her head, a little brighter at this news. "Why did he take me?"

Olivia sighed guiltily. "He took you because he knew if he had you, I would come here with him."

Zara considered this for a second, her eyes raking over Olivia's bruised face, then to the chain around her ankle. "Does he want to hurt you?"

Olivia looked away from Zara, unsure of how to answer her question, deciding on a general truth. "He's a very bad man. He wants to hurt everyone."

"Will he hurt me," Zara whispered fearfully.

Olivia turned to her, meeting her frightened eyes. "No, he won't. I promise you, I will not let him hurt you."

"Olivia, is my dad going to find us?"

"Yeah sweetie, he will," Olivia confirmed. "We've just got to hold on until he gets here."

* * *

Nick sat at his desk, his head in his hands, staring at the picture on his computer screen with a mixture of anger and sadness. It was a still image from the security footage they'd taken from Olivia's building. They were mid stride, Lewis with his arm around Olivia's waist, Olivia head turned to the camera, eyes pleading for help. She knew they'd see it and she was asking them to come find her. Nick exhaled loudly, they weren't doing a very good job of that so far. They didn't know much at this point, the only thing they did know was how Lewis got into her apartment. The racket they'd created breaking in and the subsequent police presence had piqued the curiosity of the neighbors. When they'd started showing a photo of Lewis and the lady next door, Mrs. Stamford, had identified him as Brian's brother, it didn't take long to for them to figure out the rest. Mrs. Stamford was devastated when she learned the truth. But he wasn't feeling sorry for her. What kind of person hands a perfect stranger a key to another person's apartment? Besides, she didn't need his sympathy. She was fine. The only people who needed anything from him right now were Olivia and Zara. He wasn't sure who he was more scared for...Zara because she was dispensable to Lewis or Olivia because she was the target of his cruelty. Nick picked up his phone and navigated to the copy of the recording that he'd sent to himself. He wasn't sure why he was compelled to listen to it again and again, but he was and he did.

Nick started the recording, focusing on the conversation he knew by heart now. He saw movement in his periphery, Fin and Amanda were walking back into the squad room...with Cassidy. He supposed that wasn't surprising. How could he stay away at a time like this? Maria had the same inclination when he'd called to tell her about Lewis, but he'd talked her out of that, promising to call as soon as he knew anything and even when he knew nothing.

"Nick," Cassidy said tersely.

"Cassidy," Nick reciprocated.

"Hey Brian," Cragen called somberly, as he came out of his office, approaching them.

"Anything," the Captain asked, looking expectantly at Fin and Amanda. They'd gone to speak with Dr. Cole, the prison doctor who'd helped Lewis escape the prison ward at the hospital. It seemed like the best place to start. If she'd helped him escape, maybe she was still helping him, they'd reasoned.

"No," Amanda said, shaking her head. "My gut says she's not helping him. She was really shaken when we told her he'd kidnapped Zara and Olivia. Lewis did what he does best, he saw a vulnerability in her and took advantage of it."

"Yeah," Fin added, "She had a step-brother that died in prison 5 years ago, so she's already sympathetic to prisoners. That's why she chose to work at the prison. But Lewis, he manipulated her, told her another prisoner was going to kill him...maybe it reminded her too much of her brother."

Nick sighed. It wasn't what he wanted to hear. They were silent and he realized the recording of Olivia and Lewis was still emanating from his phone.

"That's it," Brian asked, pointing to Nick's phone.

They all nodded their heads soberly.

"Start it over."

"Cassidy, man, you don't want to listen to that," Fin told him. "It'll drive you crazy."

Brian braced his hands against Nick's desk, put his head down and lifted it back up to meet their eyes. "I'm already going crazy thinking of her out there, with him. I need to hear it."

Nick offered a slight incline of his head. Who was he to say no? He, who had already listened to the thing 4 times. Nick understood the instinct to listen to it. The ability to hear her voice, to know for even a second what was happening to her as much as it may hurt, it was comforting in some strange way.

Nick started the recording over and set his phone down on the desk. Cassidy put his head down, concentrating on the conversation. He squeezed his eyes shut at the worst of it and by the time it had ended, his hands were gripping the desk so tightly, his knuckles were ghostly white.

"Go back to the beginning," Brian demanded.

"Cassidy, don't do this to yourself," Amanda said sympathetically.

Brian waved her off. "No, there's something I want to hear again. Something he said."

Nick restarted the recording again, listening intently.

"There," Cassidy exclaimed, snapping his fingers, "who is the he Lewis mentions?"

"That's the problem, we don't know," Fin explained.

"Yeah, he doesn't have any family or friends that we know of," Amanda added, "but it could be anybody he's met over the years."

"Maybe not," Cassidy disagreed, holding up a finger. "Follow my logic here. Lewis is a loner - no family, no friends, he's got no one. Lewis said he made sure of that...like whoever he's talking about built this place that Olivia won't escape from. It sounds criminal..."

"Yes," Nick interjected, slapping a hand on his desk. "Someone he met in prison."

"Right," Cassidy agreed, "and I think you start with the person he spent the most time with..."

"His cell mate," Amanda added, finishing his sentence.

Nick looked to the Captain, an unspoken question in the air. "Go," he told them, waving them on with his hand, "I'll make the necessary calls."

* * *

Olivia was startled out of sleep by a thump above, her heart racing wildly from the injection of adrenaline to her system. She laid there for a moment, her heart beat slowly returning to it's normal rhythm, her sleep addled brain trying to figure out why it was so dark and why this didn't feel like her bed. Then everything came rushing back to her - Zara, Lewis, this prison she was in. She buried her face in her hands. "No," she mumbled quietly into her hands, her voice sorrowful. She sat up and brought her knees into her chest, listening to Lewis' movement above and Zara's breathing to her side.

It was unnerving listening to his footsteps on the floor, his clattering about the house, while she sat in this black hole waiting, knowing he was coming back. She was surprised he'd left them alone for so long. He'd brought Zara water and a granola bar and then he'd left, turning the light out, leaving them with nothing but their exhaustion. Eventually, no matter how hard she'd fought it, the darkness and quiet had lulled her to sleep. She wondered how much time had passed. _Not enough_.

She heard a loud screech, saw a small patch of light and then heard footsteps on the ladder.

Zara shifted next to her, woken by the sound of the door opening. Olivia stood up, steeling herself for another inevitable confrontation.

A few seconds later, bright yellow light invaded the room and he was there, watching her, a smug look on his face.

"How are my guests?"

"Where were you," she asked. The question slipped from her lips before she realized what she was saying.

"Stockholm Syndrome already, Olivia," he bantered. "That's sweet."

She rolled her eyes at the insanity of his suggestion.

"So...where should we start," Lewis asked, eyeing the mattress.

"Let Zara go," she answered flatly.

"That wasn't really what I had in mind." Lewis folded his arms across his chest. "Besides, why would I do that?"

"You said you would," she reminded him.

"Yeah, but I lie," he pointed out with a shrug.

"You don't need her anymore." She lifted the chain that was attached to her leg. "I'm not going anywhere. Just let her go."

He considered this for a minute, then said simply, "Ok."

She wasn't sure she'd heard him right. "Ok," she asked, bewildered.

"Yeah, sure." He approached Zara and stood over her. "Come on let's go," he said, motioning for her to stand up.

Zara stood, looking to Olivia for reassurance. Olivia met Zara's frightened eyes and put a hand across her body in both a preventative and protective gesture.

"Wait," Olivia said, "where are you taking her?"

Lewis looked perplexed, "Oh I'm not taking her anywhere. You want me to let her go and I will. I'm going to walk her to the front door and I'm going to let her go." He fixed Zara with an icy stare. "What do you think Zara, you up for a long walk in the dark, alone?"

Zara shook her head, her eyes filling with tears. She turned to Olivia, terrified. "No, please don't make me go," she cried, tears rolling down her cheeks. "I'm scared, I don't want to be alone. Please Olivia."

Olivia knelt in front of Zara and hugged her, wincing as she brought her arms up. She stroked Zara's hair soothingly and whispered to her, "It's ok, sweetie. You're not going to be alone."

Olivia lowered Zara back to the ground so she was sitting on the floor and ran a hand through her hair again before standing up to face Lewis.

"You can't do that. She needs to go to a hospital," Olivia told him seriously.

Lewis scoffed at this. "Yeah, sure I'll take her to the hospital. And after that, I'll drive to the nearest police station, walk in with my hands up and surrender," he said sardonically. "Not going to happen. She's fine. So she either walks out the door now or she stays here."

"Why are you doing this," she implored, unable to contain the desolation in her voice. "You've got me. You don't need her."

She was desperate to get Zara away from him and back to her family. She'd made a promise to her that she wouldn't let Lewis hurt her and the only way she could guarantee that was to get Zara out of there...whatever it took.

_I'll do anything._

_Yes you will._

Olivia heard the words clearly in her head, the memory of that day rushing back with them. She squeezed her eyes shut against the onslaught and then opened them again, certain she would find herself in a room with an iron frame bed. But when she opened her eyes she was still surrounded by concrete...a different kind of hell. She thought she knew what he wanted to hear and she told herself she could say it if it would get Zara back to Nick.

"Please just let her go and I'll do anything you want," she said, steady, calm, but not desperate. She wouldn't give him desperate this time.

Lewis inhaled deeply and grinned at her. "Oh Olivia," he sighed, stepping into her so that his mouth was at her ear, warm breath expelled against her neck. "I know you will," he whispered. "And I don't even have to let her go." He took a step back. "All I have to do is point this," he held up her glock, "at her." He pointed the gun at Zara, seated on the floor, her eyes wide with fear staring at the gun in his hand.

"Don't," Olivia exclaimed, moving so she was in front of the weapon.

"See? Now why would I give that up?"

Olivia kept her eyes on the glock, her hands in front of her.

"Kinda reminds me of Simon says," Lewis joked, dropping the gun to his side. "Did you play that when you were a kid?"

Olivia watched him cautiously, nodding her head slowly.

"Me too. Why don't we play now? I'll be Simon," he said, his hand on his chest. He took a step to the side so he could see Zara.

"Olivia, you'll go first. Ok, Simon says..." He paused and scanned the room for dramatic effect, "Simon says...get on the mattress." He pointed the gun at Zara, but he was staring intently at her, the timbre of his voice suddenly hard and serious.

It never occurred to her to play his game. All she could think about was the gun aimed at Zara. With one quick sidestep she was in front of Zara again, shielding her from the gun.

Lewis tilted his head in mock confusion. "I don't think you understand the rules." His hand shot out from his side, grabbing hold of her left shoulder and squeezing forcefully. She cried out in pain and dropped to the ground, holding her shoulder. Olivia heard Zara call out to her, terrified. Unshed tears blurred her vision. She quickly wiped at them and stood, turning to Lewis.

Zara was upright now and Lewis was beside her, no space between them.

"I'm ok, Zara. It's going to be ok," Olivia reassured her. "You remember what I promised you, right?"

Zara nodded her head tentatively, eyes darting from Olivia to Lewis.

He put his free hand on Zara's head. "Yeah Zara, don't worry. Everything will be fine as long as Olivia plays nice."

"Now, why don't we try this again," Lewis suggested, placing the gun against Zara's back. "Simon says get on the mattress, Olivia."

* * *

So next chapter I think I'm actually going to write the Archer stuff because he's pretty evil and it could be fun. We'll see. As far as the rest of it...we'll see what the story says.


	8. Chapter 8

Oy I have so much to apologize for...the lateness of this update, the absolute horror show that is this chapter. Seriously, it's not pretty. It might make you wish I never updated. And I'm not as happy with it as I'd like to be, but I don't think there's much else I can do for it at this point. A little background on this story. The original idea for the fic was more of a hostage situation. Lewis taking Zara hostage and getting Olivia to come to/go with him to save Zara...thus the switch part of the story title. The problem was what I had planned was going to put Lewis out of character. Seems difficult right? How can a psycho be out of character? Easy. He does something human. I was going to have him let Zara go...which makes no sense. If Lewis was smart enough to understand he could use Zara to get to Olivia, why would he let that weapon go? And so, the story changed while I was writing it. When the story changed, that put Olivia in a much worse situation than she originally would've been in, in the other version. Suddenly, it's a no-win situation. This is my long-winded way of explaining why this chapter ends the way it does. I've been dreading writing this since I realized I had to write it. If last chapter seemed strange to you, it's because I included a lot of filler I didn't have to write, but did to put off writing what I wrote in this chapter. It was just hard to do. But as much as it killed me to write it, I think it's the only way this could've gone. Olivia is in a no-win situation, Lewis is smarter and not going to make the same mistake twice and, though the squad got to play with the smart stick, they're still nowhere near finding them right now. Sure I could come up with some crazy stuff to circumvent a particular plot point, but it's important to me that the story make sense and that the characters be in character, so I won't do that. So with all of that said...if you're disappointed, sad, pissed about this. I understand.

Warning: I don't think there's anything too incredibly graphic in here, but be aware that there is torture and...rape.

* * *

Olivia stared at Lewis, then at Zara and finally at the gun pressed into Zara's back. She felt like a caged animal, hopelessly trapped, acutely aware of every sound, every flinch, every sensation within herself...she heard Zara's sharp intake of breath at the feel of the gun in her back, she felt the cool, heaviness of the metal chain around her own ankle, the surge of adrenaline raging through her veins. Fight or flight. Except neither of those were an option. Flight wasn't, not with the chain around her leg. She'd tugged on it enough to know the only thing she'd achieve from continued pulling would be further cutting of the skin around her ankle. So no flight. Fight didn't seem like a viable recourse either. There was the chain around her ankle which would make it difficult, though she might give it a try if it was just her. But it wasn't. Zara was feet from her with a gun to her back and there was only one thing she could do to protect her. She had to give in. She had to play this twisted game knowing exactly where it was going. She turned her head so she could see the mattress. She'd laid there minutes ago, slept on it, so weary and exhausted she'd welcomed the small bit of comfort and respite from the cold, hard concrete. Ironic that now she stood firmly planted on the concrete floor and would've given anything to stay there. She felt sick, her stomach plummeting so far that she thought it couldn't possibly be within her body anymore. She turned her head back to Lewis and Zara.

"Come on Olivia," Lewis taunted. "You don't want to lose this game."

Olivia put her hands in front of her, placating, surrendering...she wasn't sure. "You don't want to do this," she said in shaky voice. Even to her it sounded stupid, but she'd used the phrase so many times in negotiating with perps, that it fell from her lips instinctively.

"I'm pretty sure I do. Last chance," he sneered.

His words hung in the air around her, ringing in her ears long after he'd said them. She knew he meant it. If she didn't move now, Zara would pay for it and she wasn't going to let that happen. Olivia turned and slowly moved to the mattress, her mind frantically searching for a way out. But at the same time a voice within confirmed what she already knew...there was no way out. Not like this. Not while she was restrained, up against a gun and the threat of violence against a child. The deck was stacked, the game rigged.

She stopped when she was standing on the mattress, holding her hands out, indicating that she'd done what he wanted.

"Listen, you want to hurt me, then hurt me," she told him. "But don't do this to Zara. She's a child...she can't see this. It'll scar her, she'll never be the same." She was pleading now, both for Zara and herself, because whatever he did to her would be all the worse if Zara was forced to witness it.

Lewis lowered the gun to his side and started toward her slowly. Olivia met Zara's uncertain eyes and she tried to offer her some voiceless reassurance, but after having a gun pointed at her, whatever she managed, given her own precarious position, was insufficient. Lewis continued to inch closer to her, closing the distance between them. "We all have scars eventually. I have scars," he pointed to the scar around his eye. "You have scars." He stopped in front of her and reached out to touch the collar of the coat she still wore.

"Take it off," he demanded in the domineering tone that she'd grown so accustomed to hearing. But she hesitated at this command, the urge to oppose him so strong that she couldn't make herself obey even when she knew she'd lose. Lewis fingered the zipper of her coat and then pulled it down, revealing her forest green shirt beneath it.

"I said take it off," Lewis insisted. He turned just enough so she could see his eyes glance back at Zara, the threat implicit. He turned back to her and offered a small raise of his shoulders. Yes, she got the message. It occurred to her that he could've taken if off of her by force, but he seemed to derive some great pleasure from coercing her cooperation. Like a new toy he was testing out...what could it do, how far could he push it?

Olivia shrugged her right arm out of the coat and then gently slid her other arm from it. She tossed it to the ground and lifted her eyes to meet his.

Lewis stepped forward and grabbed the neckline of her shirt, pulling it down and away from her chest so he could examine it. He leered at the exposed flesh and then glanced up at her face, savoring her distress at his invasion. His eyes dropped back down to her chest and he used his fingers to trace over faint scars that remained from their last encounter. Olivia turned her head to the side and squeezed her eyes shut. It took every ounce of self restraint that she possessed to resist pushing his hand away from her. But hadn't she already tried that once and hadn't that ended with her face aching? She reasoned now it could only end worse because she might not be the one punished for her resistance.

"Look at this," he said with a measure of disappointment, "these seem to have healed pretty well." He frowned after he spoke the words. "That's a shame."

She felt him grab her arm and found him examining it for marks. She turned her head away again, staring at the small porous holes in the concrete wall, wishing they were bigger and she could climb into one, hide herself away from his eyes, escape the feel of his skin on hers.

"I think I know what we should do first." He dropped her arm and pulled handcuffs from his waistband.

"Turn around," he ordered.

"What are you doing," she asked, ignoring his command. Lewis spun her so she was facing the wall, her back to him. He grabbed her hands and locked them in the cuffs behind her back.

"You and I are going upstairs." He reached down, key in hand, and unlocked the padlock holding the chain around her ankle.

"What about Zara," Olivia asked him.

"She stays down here," he told her, standing to full height again and grabbing hold of her elbow. He offered a sly smile and pulled her towards the ladder. "In case you were thinking about trying anything. Besides, I don't think you're going to want her up there."

Judging by the manical glee on his face, she thought that was true. A shiver made it's way through her body and she felt certain it had nothing to do with the cold.

He pulled her to the ladder, released his hold on her and then climbed it quickly. When he was at the top he took the gun out of his waistband. "Let's go."

Olivia looked back at Zara, who seemed to be frozen in place, too scared and confused to do anything but stand in the spot where he'd left her.

"Zara, I have to go up there, but I promise you I'll be back. Everything's going to be ok."

She waited for a response, but Zara could only offer a small nod in acknowledgement.

Olivia started the awkward climb with her hands behind her back, thankful for the incline of the ladder. When she reached the final steps, Lewis grabbed her arm and hauled her up the rest of the way.

He guided her to the sofa in front of the fireplace and shoved her down on it. She quickly righted herself so she was sitting up, scanning her surroundings for some sign of what he had planned for her. Lewis walked away, out of sight, and she tried to twist her body so she could see what he was doing.

"Archer and I have a lot in common, but we have different styles. He prefers knives. You should see how many he has here. We'll get around to those later." He paused, reveling in the imagery and the fear he was conjuring for her. "Now me, I prefer the fire. But you already knew that, didn't you?" He stopped what he was doing and stared pointedly at her, a liquor bottle in his hand. She ignored his taunt and instead her eyes were drawn to the bottle.

He noticed this and held it up in recognition. "I'd offer you some, but the house I broke into wasn't well stocked. And you weren't carrying much cash, so..."

He put the bottle to his lips and drank from it.

Olivia turned away from him, relieved to be spared that part of his sick game. Her gaze was drawn to the flames dancing in the fireplace. It was warm here, much warmer than the cold concrete prison she'd been trapped in for hours. The heat, the soft glow of light given off from the burning embers...it should've been inviting. Anywhere but here, with him, it would've been. But, her situation being what it was, the orange and yellow flames burning brightly unnerved her and she would've gladly gone back to the cold and the dark to escape this weapon that she was sure he intended to wield against her.

She was startled out of her trance-like state by his appearance at her side and the sound of his voice close to her ear. "Feeling a little pyrophobic, Olivia?"

She saw him in her periphery, staring at her while she watched the fire. She turned to meet his gaze and a knowing smile spread across his features.

"You know they say the best way to get over your fears is to face them."

He stood and reached into his pocket, pulling a familiar rectangular box from it. The cigarettes. He pulled one from the pack, put it to his lips and lit it.

_Later._

She remembered the promise he'd made in the car. Of the heat on her wrist, so close to burning into her skin. Was that where this was going? Was this how the torture began? She eyed him cautiously as he puffed on the cigarette and blew out the smoke. He studied her reaction to each drag he took just as closely, aware she was anxiously watching his every move. Finally, when he was holding a tiny stub in his fingers, he paused, eyed her deliberately, and then flicked the leftover portion into the fire. Olivia watched it disappear into the flames and, though she was relieved, she was also confused.

Without a word, he grasped onto her elbow and pulled her to her feet. He moved so he was in front of her, towering over her ominously, his face unreadable. He tilted his head to the side and looked her up and down as if judging something about her and then he reached both hands into the space between them and grabbed hold of her pants, working to unbutton them. It was déjà vu, they'd been here before and she'd been saved by a knock at the door. But she couldn't expect a similar interruption this time. She tried to move away, pull free of his grasp, but his grip was firm and she couldn't break loose. His fingers worked expertly amidst her struggles and within seconds he had the button undone.

"No," she cried out in desperation.

But in one swift motion, he jerked the pants down her legs, leaving them gathered around her ankles.

"Nice," he said, fingering the black fabric that covered her.

"Don't touch me," she snapped, emboldened by the fact that he couldn't point his gun at Zara in that moment.

"Oh, I'm going to do a lot more than that," he promised, squeezing her elbow painfully and shoving her back down onto the couch.

Olivia watched him walk away, completely disoriented, her mind reeling. She was sure that was what he wanted. He showed her one horror only to then threaten another. It was psychological warfare, and it was working. She wondered if this was what insanity felt like.

She heard clanging coming from behind her, his footsteps on the wood floor and then he was there, holding a pan, and she realized that, yet again, he'd misdirected her.

Lewis sat down next to her on the sofa and put a hand on her bare leg, running it up and down the length of her thigh.

"I hope you're not disappointed, we'll get around to that soon. But not up here, I don't trust you," he moved his hand to her inner thigh, watching her stiffen. "I'll have to make sure you're nice and tied down when it's time." He stared unfocused into the fire, a small smile on his lips, the image surely playing in his mind.

"But right now, it's time to commemorate this moment, us being together again." He broke his gaze away from the fire, turned to her and held up a silver key for her to examine. She recognized it as the key to the cabin. "Back in the day, slaves used to be branded with their owner's mark, had it burnt into their flesh. Consider this," he said holding up the key, "my mark. And until I decide to get rid of you, I own you." He closed his fingers around the key, studying her face intently, gauging her reaction, but getting none.

"And since I never got this far before...," he said, tapping her leg. She stared down at the smooth, tan flesh of her thigh, to be forever scarred by the symbol of this prison, of him. He dropped the key into the pan and she flinched at the sound of metal on metal.

Lewis moved to the fireplace and stuck the pan into the fire, flames lapping at it. He stared at her while he held it there, glee etched into his face, the light of the fire flickering in his eyes.

"No begging, no bargaining," he asked, disappointed.

"Why would I bother?" Her voice was resigned, her face emotionless, mentally already steeling herself for what she knew was coming.

"See, that's why I had to have you again." He turned away from her momentarily, looking into the pan enveloped in flame, and then turned back to her. "You're not like the other ones. They all broke so fast. They were begging for life or death, or both within hours. But not you. No, you're a challenge. Even when I thought I had you, I didn't. You just kept fighting."

Lewis gazed into the fire again and pulled the pan out of it. He set the pan on the stone perimeter and bent over, a pair of pliers in hand, grasping onto the key.

"But this time it's going to be different. I spent every night in prison imagining how I'd finally break you down," Lewis recalled, holding the key inches from her thigh, staring intently into her wide eyes. "And we've got nothing but time here. When you look at this, when you feel it burn, I want you to remember who put it there and why. Because it all ends here, baby. You'll break here and you'll die here."

He lowered the key the last few centimeters and pressed it to her leg.

For a second, the only thing Olivia registered was the hiss of the metal burning away her skin and then suddenly, heat flooded her body and she was consumed by searing pain.

* * *

Nick stared through the bars and out the window of the prison interview room, waiting for Amanda to return. The sky was cloudless, the sun shining - it reminded him of the perfect day he'd spent at the zoo with Zara and Olivia. That seemed so long ago now. Everything had changed and he was sure nothing would ever be the same.

"Ok, so Lewis' cellmate, Tennell Archer," Amanda said, entering the room. "He's 47, arrested and convicted on kidnap, assault and rape charges 2 years ago and get this...the guy's genius. Got a 141 on the IQ test they gave him."

"Sounds like Lewis' kind of guy," Nick observed. He paused and looked out the barred doors to the prison hallway. "Is your partner pissed he has to sit this one out?"

Amanda shrugged. "A little," she conceded. "He's interviewing some of the guards. Trying to see if he can find out who Lewis was close to." Nick nodded.

They wanted their interview with Archer to appear a normal process in the manhunt. Two cops, that was routine. Three was too much, it screamed desperation and if Archer was anything like Lewis, he would sense the blood in the water. They didn't want that. If he knew how badly they needed his help, he'd be looking to make a deal...a deal they couldn't make. Nick had announced right away, there was no way he was sitting out. His daughter, his partner - no way. And they all agreed Amanda should be present because...well to put it simply Archer was a man who'd been in prison for years now. Amanda's presence would be far more interesting to him and, given what they knew of him now, it seemed like an even better decision.

They heard the unmistakable sound of a metal prison door sliding and then slamming shut. Their heads turned to watch a man in orange being escorted by a prison guard into the room. He was tall, about 6'5, slim, but muscular. His head was completely bald, his blue eyes hooded by light yellow eyebrows, his face sprinkled with light freckles. The guard sat him down in the chair at the metal table in the middle of the room and his thin lips turned up into a smile at the sight of Amanda leaning against the wall to his left.

"He's all yours," the guard told them, before turning to leave the room.

Nick regarded him with a polite nod and then took a seat across from the prisoner.

"Tennell, my name is..." Nick started, but was interrupted almost immediately.

"Just Archer. No one calls me by my first name."

"Ok, Archer. I'm detective Amaro with the NYPD," Nick said, flashing his shield. "This is detective Rollins." He motioned to Amanda and then continued, "We'd like to talk to you about..."

"William Lewis," Archer interjected.

"That's right," Nick confirmed, glancing at Amanda out of the corner of his eye.

"Cops come to see me a week after my cellmate escapes, doesn't take a genius to figure out why you're here," he told them casually.

"But you are a genius," Amanda asked, still leaning against the wall.

Archer turned his body slightly so he could see Amanda, "That's what they tell me."

"That's pretty impressive," Amanda conceded, eyebrows raised, lips pursed.

Nick saw what she was doing, apparently she was playing good cop, trying to draw him in. That was fine with him.

Amanda pushed away from the wall and walked across the room, Archer's eyes following her the whole way. She stopped behind Nick.

Archer smirked, "Glad you think so, detective."

"Let's talk about William Lewis. Were you and he close," Amanda asked, nonchalant.

"Like I said, he was my cellmate. You spend that many hours a day with someone and you get to know them pretty well," Archer said, leaning back in his chair.

"Did he ever talk about where he would go when he got out," Amanda asked.

"Detective, we're in prison. We spend ninety percent of our time in here thinking about what we're going to do when we get out," Archer explained, with a slight chuckle. "Yeah, he talked about it but the destination was never the same. Try all the beaches in the US, anywhere in Canada and a long list of no extradition countries."

"What if he wasn't looking to go very far? Maybe not even out of the state...do you know a place like that? Somewhere he could hide," Nick intervened.

"Hmmmm...now why would he be looking to stay around here, detective?"

"I'm not saying he is, I just want to cover all of our bases. We do have his picture out to every tollway, bus station, train station and airport in the state. It might be a little difficult for him to leave," Nick clarified.

Archer glanced between Nick and Amanda, put his elbows on the table and leaned forward in his chair. "You said you're NYPD detectives," Archer questioned, pointing between the two of them.

"Right," Nick confirmed with a nod.

"What kind of detectives are you again," Archer asked, suddenly intrigued.

Nick eyed Amanda before answering, "We're Special Victims."

"Special Victims...sex crimes detectives, right?" Nick and Amanda gave small confirmatory nods.

Archer mulled this over for a second and then broke into quiet laughter, shaking his head in what appeared to be disbelief.

Nick and Amanda watched him, at a complete loss for what had provoked this bout of hilarity.

"What's so funny," Amanda asked.

"Wasn't that bitch cop he kidnapped one of yours?"

Nick stood angrily at the insult to his partner. "Watch your mouth. Her name is Sergeant Benson." Amanda put a hand on his shoulder and Nick walked away from the table.

Archer held up his hands in placation. "Sorry, sorry...Sergeant Benson," he conceded, still smiling widely. He turned to Amanda. "Where's she right now?"

"She's busy," Nick said shortly from across the room.

"I bet she is," Archer agreed in a low voice, a knowing smile on his face. He watched Nick and Amanda share a wary glance.

"How long has he had her?"

Nick hesitated.

"Oh come on detective, it's not that hard. What other reason would SVU have to be here a week after Will escaped, asking the kind of questions you're asking. So I'll ask again, how long has he had her?"

Nick still considered evading the question or lying. But Archer knew and there was no getting around that now.

"About 12 hours," Nick muttered, turning to face the wall, while Amanda took the seat across from Archer.

"What kind of cops are you," he laughed. "Ya'll didn't see this coming? I did, no genius IQ necessary. There wasn't a day that went by that he didn't talk about getting his hands on her again."

"Of course we did," Nick barked, "but it's not that simple."

"He didn't just take her," Amanda added, eyeing Nick. "He also took a 7 year old girl to use as leverage against her. Now if you know where he..."

"I might," Archer interjected.

Nick spun quickly to face Archer, "Where would he take them?"

"What's in it for me," Archer asked.

Nick let out an exasperated hiss and Amanda held up a hand to him.

"What do you want?"

"Darlin' don't play dumb. I'm in prison, what do you think I want?"

Nick approached the table, resting his hands against it, eyeing Archer intently. "Listen we don't have the authority to make a deal like that, but I promise you if you help us, I'll testify at your next parole hearing. You get a cop testifying that you saved a little girl and an NYPD Sergeant, that could go a long way."

"He's right, hell I'll do the same," Amanda confirmed. "Come on, Archer. What do you have to lose?"

Archer sat back in his chair, hands clasped together, two fingers pressed into his lower lip, appearing to consider their words. After a long pause, he put his hands together in front of him on the table as if he was about to pray. "You two must think I'm an idiot." He sounded almost amused. "Or you thought throwing a beautiful woman in here would make me stupid. Either way..."

"No offense honey, you're very pretty and I'd do you in a heartbeat, but I'm guessing you're not offering that," he smirked. "And you're not offering me any guaranteed way out of here, so you're offering me nothing. I don't do something for nothing."

"Why protect Lewis," Amanda challenged. "He left you here."

"Oh I have no hard feelings about that," Archer informed them. "I'd have done the same thing had the opportunity arisen."

"We can make your life miserable," Nick threatened, straightening up so he towered over Archer seated at the table. "We can make sure you end up with no privileges, no freedom, just sitting in a hole of a cell in solitary."

The smirk that had been on Archer's face throughout most of the interview was suddenly gone. He looked at Nick warily, running a hand over his bald head. "Do you have a picture of her? Sergeant Benson?" His tone was suddenly serious, almost sympathetic and Nick wondered if Archer had changed his mind. Nick took out his phone and found what he was looking for, a picture of Olivia that Zara had insisted on taking right before they left her apartment that Saturday afternoon. She was smiling, her hair slightly tousled from the long day, which somehow only served to make her more beautiful, and she held up the stuffed tiger Zara had given her. Nick looked at the image, hesitant to share it, but then held his phone down so Archer could see it.

Archer studied it raptly, his face unreadable and finally Nick pulled his phone away from him, deciding he'd seen it long enough. "She's...stunning," Archer marveled, forced to finally tear his eyes away from the phone. He looked past them to the window and Nick followed his gaze expecting to find something outside, but he saw nothing except blue sky. Nick looked back to Archer who had put a hand on the table and began tapping his fingers rhythmically. Archer finally glanced to Amanda and then to Nick.

"Ok, I'm ready detective," he told Nick. Nick felt a surge of relief. Archer was going to turn on Lewis. He wasn't sure what prompted it and he didn't care. If Archer gave them a location where Lewis might have taken Olivia and Zara, they could be hours away from getting to them.

"Did you tell him about a place you lived? A place you built, maybe," Nick questioned eagerly.

The impish grin returned to Archer's face. "Oh no detective, I meant I'm ready to go to solitary." He put his hands together in front of him, mimicking being handcuffed. "Have them take me away, lock me up 23 hours a day. Been there done that." Archer sat straighter, coming to his full height in the chair, face void of any emotion, his eyes black and dead. The monster that had been lurking beneath the surface had reared it's head and there was nothing left of the pretense of humanity that he had offered before.

"We both know what he's doing to her right now. How many times do you think he's had her," he asked, his face impassive. "Can you see it detective? I can. Tied up, helpless, tears running down that beautiful face while he invades every part of her..."

"Shut up," Nick growled, moving quickly to Archer and grabbing hold of him, pulling the much bigger man out of the chair. Archer didn't flinch, didn't cry out, he just watched Nick's rage consume him with a chilling calm.

"He'll take and take from her and when he's done, that beautiful, vibrant woman will be a shell...if she survives," he taunted looking from Nick to Amanda beside him. "I'm guessing she won't."

"Enough," Amanda yelled, pulling on Nick. "Nick, come on, this is pointless."

He was shaking with fury, his face inches from Archer's. He felt Amanda's hand on his arm, tugging insistently on him and he jerked on Archer's prison suit once for good measure before releasing him.

They moved toward the sliding, barred door which opened upon their approach.

"I appreciate the picture of your Sergeant, though. I'll be thinking of her with my good friend Will tonight."

Nick stopped in his tracks and turned back to Archer, who was grinning deviously while a prison guard was putting him in handcuffs. The guard motioned Archer forward and he obliged, offering a wave of his fingers when he passed Nick and Amanda.

"If you ever find Will, give him my regards," Archer called back to them.

Nick and Amanda stepped into the hallway and watched Archer stroll down it, whistling to himself. Nick heard Amanda let out a shaky breath. She glanced up at him and then down the hallway, as Archer disappeared behind a door. "I feel like we just met William Lewis in ten years."

"Yeah," Nick nodded. They turned in the opposite direction and walked down the hallway toward the exit. They found Fin waiting for them at the front desk. He approached them impatiently as soon as he saw them, phone in hand.

"Just got off the phone with the Captain, we've got a lead."

* * *

They were sitting in the dark, talking quietly as they did when Lewis wasn't around. He'd returned Olivia to the basement, reattached the chain to her ankle and turned out the light. Olivia sat with her legs straight out in front of her, doing whatever she could to keep her pants from irritating the burns on her legs, but the mere presence of the fabric constantly rubbing against them was agony. She thought that was the only reason he'd put them back on her.

"What happened to your socks and shoes," Zara asked her, her voice filling the silence.

"I left them upstairs." Technically that was true. Lewis had taken them from her upstairs. Yet another precaution he was taking against her escape.

"What were you doing up there?"

She saw the key burning into her leg, cigarette after cigarette being slammed into her flesh. She shook the images from her mind.

"We were just talking," Olivia told her, glad the girl couldn't see her face.

"I heard yelling," Zara stated.

Screaming...same difference. She'd done her best to muffle them by burying her head in the sofa, but apparently that hadn't worked as well as she'd hoped.

"Yeah, we yelled, but everything's fine now," she said robotically.

She heard movement above, then the door opened and small slivers of light were visible on the concrete floor.

He was coming back...but he'd just left. She'd hoped maybe she was getting a reprieve, that he'd leave her alone for a few hours as he had done before. She stood and moved away from the mattress where she'd been sitting with Zara. A tactical decision. She didn't want to present any association with it and what it represented to him. Zara followed her lead and stood beside her.

There were footsteps on the ladder and a few seconds later, yellow light illuminated the room.

He stood just in front of the ladder, staring, silent, turning the rope he held in his hands.

She was tired of this, of the games.

"What do you want?"

"Did you think we were done? That was just the warm up, sweetheart," he laughed coldly at his pun, dropping his eyes to her legs. "It's time for the main event."

She didn't need to ask what that was, she already knew. So much for a reprieve. She considered her options and found them the same as they'd been hours ago when she'd been staring down this threat. There was only one. And that left her with the same goal that she'd had earlier...get Zara upstairs, away from this. And maybe, just maybe if Zara was away from him, out of immediate danger, there would be an opening for her to fight.

"Zara can't see this," Olivia insisted. "Let her go upstairs."

He shook his head. "She stays here."

"Why," she questioned, desperately. "You've already got me restrained. What do you have to lose by letting her go up there?"

"She might escape," Lewis pointed out, with little conviction. "Besides, I want her around just in case you need a little incentive."

"Incentive," she asked, her voice raised. "What am I going to do? Where am I going to go? I'm chained up, you have handcuffs and rope...and a gun." She ranted, throwing a hand out in exasperation. "And you need a little girl to do this?"

It was a dangerous game to be playing, trying to taunt him into anything. But she had nothing to lose. He'd made it very clear where this was headed. It was surreal, to be faced with the prospect of her own rape and not even attempt to bargain her way out of it because she knew it was useless. There was no humanity within him that she could appeal to, no threat she could issue that would hold any weight. So instead of wasting her breath trying to save herself, she was trying to spare Zara from being subjected to it. And even at that, she was failing. She scanned the room anxiously, sure the concrete walls were slowly closing in on her, taking away the air she was breathing, forcing her closer and closer to him.

"Not really. But I don't mind if she watches and since I can see you do..." He shrugged. "You don't make the rules, Olivia. Remember?"

"You bastard," she whispered, utterly distraught, eyes dropping to the floor, head shaking. "I should've shot you when I had the chance."

"Yeah, you should've," he agreed. "But you didn't. Too late now."

So this was it? Hadn't she known this was coming? Hadn't she accepted it when she'd made the decision to leave her apartment with him. No, she decided, judging by the way she felt, she hadn't accepted it at all. She'd known exactly what he wanted to do to her, but she'd barely considered it in her decision to come here. She'd only thought of Zara, getting to her, making sure she was ok. Everything else she'd left to chance and hoped that she'd find some way out of it. Except she hadn't. And she had no hope that she would. As long as Lewis had Zara to threaten she couldn't make a move, though the irrational part of her that was terrified screamed at her to do it. She would've been willing to risk her own life and fight. But she wouldn't risk a child's. So that left one thing to do...try to make this ok for her since there was no way to make it ok for herself.

Olivia knelt in front of Zara, taking the girl's hands in her own. She wondered if Zara could feel the small, constant tremors running through her body.

"Zara, I..." She didn't have the words. How did she explain this to her, how was she going to shield her? She decided to tell her the truth in it's most innocent form.

"Zara, something bad is going to happen. Something that you shouldn't see or hear...I know your mom and dad wouldn't want you to, I don't want you to, because I don't want you to be afraid." She paused. "So I need you to do something for me, ok?"

Zara nodded her head uncertainly, silently. Olivia glanced to Lewis, who was leaning against the wall, watching their exchange with the delight of a person who was getting everything he wanted and more. Olivia turned back to Zara. "Ok, good." She tried for a reassuring smile, though she thought she failed. She inhaled deeply and exhaled before continuing.

"I'm going to give you my coat and I need you to go over there, behind the ladder, and I need you to lay down, close your eyes, put your hands over your ears and sing. Can you do that for me?"

"What should I sing," Zara asked softly.

"Whatever you want," Olivia said. "Anything that makes you feel safe. But it's really important that you do everything I say and keep singing, no matter what you hear." Olivia's voice broke and she felt her eyes stinging. She dropped her head to the ground attempting to regain her composure.

"Is he going to hurt you?"

She looked up into Zara's wide, concerned eyes and then to Lewis, who was taking it all in with perverse pleasure, nodding his head in silent answer to her question.

"Yes, he is," she admitted. "And I'm telling you the truth, because I want you to know how important it is that you do what I say, ok?"

Zara's face crumpled, tears springing to her eyes, and she closed the distance between them, wrapping her arms around Olivia's neck.

"I don't want him to hurt you," she cried into Olivia's shoulder.

Olivia wrapped her arm around Zara, hugging her tightly, emotion thick in her own voice. "I know you don't. But I'm going to be fine, as long you do what I said." Olivia leaned away from Zara and ran a hand through her hair.

"We're going to get through this. Your dad and Amanda and Fin will be here soon and they'll get us out of here. And when they do, I think we should go back to the zoo and see Maya again. That sound like a deal?"

Zara nodded her head slowly, wiping at her red, tear-stained face.

"That's optimistic," Lewis chuckled from where he stood against the wall.

"Shut up," she spat, not bothering to look at him.

"As entertaining as this has all been, I've got better things in mind so," he pushed away from the wall and took a few steps forward, his shadow looming over them, "if Zara's going to serenade us while we do it then by all means tell her to get started."

Olivia put her arms around Zara, hugging her tightly. "Remember what I told you," she whispered, "don't open your eyes and don't stop singing, no matter what you hear. Please." Olivia stood, grabbed the coat that she'd dropped earlier and held it out to Zara. Zara took the coat and walked hesitantly to the dark corner of the room beyond the ladder.

Olivia watched Zara lay her coat out on the floor and then sink down to the ground. She sat on it and turned back to them, staring uneasily.

"Start singing Zara," Lewis commanded, his voice flat. "Olivia and I need some adult time."

She looked to Olivia, who was silently willing her with a nod to do as she asked. Zara gave her one last uncertain glance and then laid down on the coat with her back to them, put her hands to her ears and seconds later, began singing.

Lewis listened to her for a moment. "Well, you know what that means," he smiled sadistically, taking the gun out of his jeans, "Time for the clothes to come off."

The simplicity of the statement was jarring, especially when it seemed so complicated to her. Because she couldn't seem to do it. Her limbs were so heavy, they may as well have been made of concrete instead of skin, muscle and bone. And even if her limbs weren't so heavy, her mind wouldn't let them move anyway. The synapses in her brain weren't firing. She was paralyzed. Was it fear or defiance, she couldn't really say. Whatever force was at work within her was rooted deeply and, though she knew she stood no chance of winning, she couldn't make herself give in that easily.

"I bet I can still hit her from here," Lewis threatened, aiming the gun across the room at Zara. Olivia glanced at her small form laying on the ground, vaguely aware that she was singing in spanish, then she glared at Lewis. There it was, the threat had been issued as she knew it would be, and the hesitance within her driven away by something more powerful than her need for self preservation...a need to protect another.

She slowly pulled her left arm through the green shirt she wore with some pain and then used her right arm to lift the garment over her head, tossing it aside.

She paused, focusing on the gun still aimed at Zara. He followed her gaze to the glock in his hand.

"That bothering you," he questioned, cocking his head to the side. "Then you better move faster. My trigger finger's getting heavy."

Olivia undid the button on her black pants and pushed them off her hips, down her legs, sliding painfully against the burns on her thighs. She stepped out of the right pant leg, the left hung on the chain attached to her ankle.

"Keep going," he demanded, his voice saturated with power and lust, "until it's all gone."

She put her head down. The tears that she had tried so hard not to shed were now threatening to spill out of her eyes. The damn was breaking, the flood gates opening and she knew it was only a matter of time until the torrent of emotion came pouring out of her.

Olivia reached behind her back with shaky hands and undid the black bra she was wearing. She pulled it away from her chest, dropped it to the floor and immediately covered herself. Her eyes scanned the room frantically, tears blurring her vision, her heart pounding wildly. She kept telling herself this couldn't be happening, it had to be a nightmare. He was, after all, a frequent visitor to them. But even in her worst nightmares, the terror wasn't this profound, nor the pain of her injuries so real.

She saw Lewis take a few steps forward. She glanced at him and he waved the gun at her, silently ordering the removal of her final piece of clothing.

With one hand covering her top, she reached the other hand down to her underwear and slid them down her legs, stepping out of them. She stood naked, humiliated, devastated, with tears rolling down her cheeks, looking anywhere but at the monster before her, who she knew must be wearing an expression akin to triumph on his face.

She heard the sound of metal and looked up to find Lewis approaching her, holding handcuffs. He stood in front of her, giving her an appraising once over, and then reached out and snatched both of her hands, which she was using to cover herself, quickly locking them tightly in the handcuffs.

"There we go," he sighed, his eyes raking over her body appreciatively. "Beautiful." Lewis reached out and lifted her chin so she was forced to meet his gaze. He wiped at the wetness that was now falling from her eyes, then examined the fluid on his thumb.

"You know in all the time we spent together before, everything I did, you barely shed a tear," he recalled, glancing back to her face. He held up his thumb. "But look at you now. I've got to be honest with you, I've never wanted anyone more."

And then his arm was around her waist, dragging her back to the mattress in the corner and she struggled against him, an ingrained reaction that required no thought. A scream was in her throat ready to tear free from her lips, but the sound of Zara singing reminded her to swallow it. He threw her down and she tried to roll away from him, but he was on her in an instant, hand around her throat, gun at her head.

"Enough," he growled dangerously, leaning over her so his face was inches from hers. "Or Zara takes your place."

And that was it, the fight within her was gone, easily extinguished by that very real threat. She never stood a chance.

He ran a length of rope around the chain of the handcuffs and then pulled on it so her arms were forced up and back. It was agony on her injured shoulder and a loud, strangled sob escaped her lips.

"Olivia," came Zara's scared, concerned voice.

Olivia looked back where Lewis was securing the rope through the D-rings in the wall, effectively trapping her arms above her head. She shut her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to impart a level of calm that she didn't feel.

"Yeah Zara, I'm fine," Olivia lied, voice cracking. "Remember what I said, don't stop."

Zara hesitated for a brief moment and then started her song again - her sweet, innocenct voice, now shaky and filled with emotion, singing a slow, spanish lullaby.

Lewis finished with her hands and came back to kneel beside her, dropping the gun to his side so both of his hands were free. He took her free leg and secured it to another ring in the floor with more rope.

He moved back up her body, running a hand up her leg, over the burns, up her stomach until he reached her face, cupping her cheek.

"I don't think you're going anywhere this time," he whispered. He forced his lips down onto hers and she protested against them, attempting to move her head away from him but finding it held firmly in place by his hands.

He released her and Olivia watched him stand, unbutton his pants, push them down his legs and step out of them. She turned her eyes away, unable to bear the site of him exposed, ready. This was happening. She tugged hopelessly at her restraints. She'd been here before, so close to the act that she'd been certain it would happen and then saved at the last minute. But this wasn't like the other times. There was a finality to this, a certainty that there would be no last minute rescue, no timely interruption. She leaned her head back, staring unfocused at the ceiling, listening to Zara's voice as she sang.

_Pajarito que cantas en la laguna_

_No despiertes al niño que está en la cuna_

His hands were on her body again, rough hands that squeezed and grabbed, relentlessly, callously. She expelled long, deep breaths trying in vain to calm the raging storm of emotion within, but found the tears flowed more freely.

_Ea la nana_

_Ea la nana_

_Duérmete lucerito de la mañana_

She felt him move so he was in between her legs, his erection against her thigh.

_Pajarito que cantas junto a la fuente_

_Cállate que mi niño no se despierte_

He shoved a finger inside her. She choked back a sob at the intrusion and the pain, a stream of wetness trailing down her face like rain falling from the sky. "You're not ready for this at all," he sneered. Her disobedient eyes flickered momentarily to his and he grinned cruelly at her.

_Ea la nana_

_Ea la nana_

_Duérmete lucerito de la mañana_

Lewis removed his finger, grasped her hips and pulled her closer to him. Olivia whimpered in pain at the added stress on her shoulder. She felt him positioned at her opening and she forgot how to breathe. She was quietly sobbing and gasping, panicked, completely undone. "This is probably going to hurt," he told her, glancing up at her one final time. "You tell me which is worse, the burns or this."

She told herself to keep listening to Zara's voice. Just focus on her voice.

_A la nanita nana mi niño duerme_

_Con los ojos abiertos como las liebres_

Lewis paused, smirked and then entered her mercilessly. Olivia cried out in agony and horror as he thrust into her, tearing her apart again and again, her eyes staring blankly up at the ceiling, the sound of Zara's song echoing in her head.

_Ea la nana_

_Ea la nana_

_Duérmete lucerito de la mañana_

* * *

And I realize the Zara aspect makes this last part even worse and icky, but again, I wanted to keep the characters in character and Lewis wouldn't care about scarring a child and he'd take any opportunity to make Olivia miserable.


End file.
